Alephee could tell what was taking place inside Eren's head at the moment. She pondered for a bit before speaking up.
'No, Eren. I don't think they are suicide squads. I feel that the other side is waiting for reinforcements.
This group tried to attack Sansara World to gain entrance by force. But judging by the barrier erected around you and the second invisible barrier activated to cover the entire arena, the group failed in its task.
Even this group knows one Sage is not enough to intimidate Hansen with his home-ground advantage. The fact that it has decided to face Hansen despite knowing this suggests that it has another Trump card to count on.
Hansen knows this. The entities standing in support of Hansen also know this. That's why they haven't taken drastic measures against this bunch.
The thing that puzzles me is the fact that a Sage infiltrated the capital city, Edin. This is huge. It just highlights something that I had always thought ofâ€" someone higher up the ladder from the kingdom of Edinburgh has sided with the enemy side.'
Eren raised his eyebrows at Alephee's conjecture. Frankly, his mana sense gave him mixed signals because of so many high-ranking entities in proximity. There were at least 50 Grandmaster rankers gathered at the Edinnica Arena, including rankers from both sides. The number of Master-ranked entities was even larger.
Hansen and the white-haired old man looked like the only two Sages representing the two sides. However, even the dumbest person present at the scene could tell it was not true.
"Heh! So we are officially at war from this moment on.
Never mind. Now that we are past the diplomatic bullshit, I'm actually looking forward to the uping times."
Hansen spoke with confidence. He chuckled and added further.
"Hehe. We might not have started this thing. But we are capable of ending it on our terms. What do you think, Gregory Grant?"
Hansen asked his fellow Sage from the opposition. He flashed a light smile when he observed that no reinforcements were ing to save the enemy group. He decided to ask the question to the participants without turning back to them.
.n0v/el/b/in[./]net'
"First of all, I want to congratulate all the participants who survived the graduation event. This includes those who survived till the last day as well as those who were kicked out after an injury.
If infiltrating Edinburgh and causing unrest was the enemy rankers' rite of passage, surviving this rigged event was yours. And since you have passed the test, it is only fitting that you get rewarded for it."
Gregory Grant and the rest knew that Hansen had said these things to incite them to act in some form. Therefore they decided to remain silent.
Hansen's voice was coated in hope and pride as he said his next words.
"On His Kingship Emael Edinburgh Von Renar's behalf, I will assure you that all survivor graduates will be employed by the kingdom at high designations depending upon your performance at the event.
The universal law of equal exchange will be observed. As a result of facing so many dangers, you will also receive greater rewards.
That is if you choose to.
Otherwise, you will be pensated with special rights or resources."
The participants who had graduated but got kicked out earlier from Sansara World were present at the scene. They started looking at each other when they heard Hansen's announcement.
Some of the participants couldn't help flashing a suppressed smile. They didn't want to celebrate their acplishments in such a tense atmosphere. However, they all felt jubilant nonetheless.
Hansen could guess what the participants were thinking. He gave them some time to process the information before adding further.
"Instead of focusing on royalty alone, the kingdom of Edinburgh has decided to provide a platform for all talented rankers across its four Duchies. It has always opted for this approach since its inception.
Whether you are royalty or not, being a talented and hardworking ranker will be the only criterion you will need to prosper in this kingdom. You may face increased risks because of our policies. But it is only because of policies like these that you can overe your limitations.
This is the reason why Edinburgh was separated from its origins in the first place. We didn't want to limit the rankers' talents just because of their poor backgrounds.
Of course, we have our share of privileged people. But we also offer privileges to those who deserve them. This is unthinkable for my friends standing in front of me. Hehe."
Eren had to say that what Hansen said was true for the most part. Of course, Edinburgh also had its share of entitled royalty and people with special backgrounds. These people thought they were above restrictions placed on other rankers. However, entitled people always exist no matter what society, so they did not really count.
The kingdom of Edinburgh tried to prioritize meritocracy. It was integrated into its foundation. It might have failed to implement this principle everywhere uniformly. However, it was omnipresent everywhere. And its existence couldn't be denied.
Kingdom-approved events such as the Titus tournament emphasized Edinburgh's core values. It would allow mon rankers to gain fame and riches for themselves. So that they make the kingdom prosper in return.
Eren was also reminded of Rufus' speech after processing Hansen's words. He understood that the first king Emil Von Renar was a genius when setting the foundation for his kingdom and his legacy.
Eren wondered if Emil was also alive somewhere like his so-called retainers. He thought he could learn from a clever politician like Emil.
Hansen seemed to be waiting for orders from above. He didn't like waiting in silence. So he broke it by asking his next question to the participants.
"I also wanted to ask you something, my young finalists. You may not know this. But there was a blackout for a few days and we didn't know what was happening inside Sansara World at that time.
Could you tell me who won Sansara Sage's Legacy?"
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