"Lord Michael," Theodora said with a smile, "Paphlagonia, is it the surname of some noble family from Sirius?"

The sweaty face of the plump banker grew more so: "Ah, no, not a notable surname..."

Beside him, Zoe's face was so sullen it seemed as if water might drip from it. Paphlagonia was merely a place name beyond Asia Minor, and those without any family heritage often liked to use the name of their homeland as a surname.

"You're being modest; I know my sister's picky taste. If it weren't a distinguished and noble family, it probably wouldn't catch her eye..." Theodora continued to smile brightly while stabbing the banker and simultaneously smearing her sister's reputation, making the plump banker almost choke out a plea.

Finally, Aske couldn't stand it anymore and coughed, saying:

"In any case, the immediate priority is to quickly determine the rightful revival of the East Solomon Empire. After all, the Crusade's stated objective this time is merely to reclaim Constantinople, and it hasn't been mentioned to whom it will belong once it's recovered... You can't be thinking of establishing another Latin Empire, can you?"

The Latin Empire was a deep, dark chapter in the sisters' hearts. They had been driven out of Constantinople by a group of Crusaders, and although the short-lived Latin Empire soon fell into the hands of the Seljuks, the sisters remained resentful.

"Is that even a question?" Zoe said disdainfully, "Of course, the exiled government that withdrew from Constantinople would be inherited by me, the Monarch of Epirus. You can't give it to a former empress who has already abdicated, can you?"

"No, I disagree." Theodora said with a sweet smile.

"What right do you have to disagree..."

"Because I am a Demigod." Theodora snapped her fingers, and a domain composed of chaotic cyclones instantly spread throughout the room.

Apilius swiftly rose, his shadowy domain also expanded, quickly protecting Zoe and her husband. Nevertheless, Aske also expanded his War Domain, the platinum realm full of dazzling swords and sabers overlapped with Theodora's Catastrophe Domain, firmly resisting Apilius's domain.

"My foolish sister." Theodora coldly said, staring at Zoe and her husband who were trembling in the opposing domain, yet stubbornly refusing to collapse to the ground, "It is now the upper limit of Magic Tide Lv. 25. The power, position, wealth, and connections you possess in Sirius... are utterly worthless in the face of my Demigod powers capable of destroying heaven and earth!"

"I..." Zoe trembled, her mouth quivering, then she shouted suddenly, "I have the support of the Orthodox Church! The Orthodox Church has more than twenty demigods..."

"The Orthodox Church does not support you, Zoe Your Majesty." Alexei the Great Shepherd slowly walked in from outside, "All demigods of the Orthodox Church are currently on standby, ready to counter the Seljuk Empire's potential deployment of demigod power; otherwise, the risk of a Crusade collapse is high."

"In fact," Apilius sighed, "purely in demigod numbers, the Orthodox Church is at a disadvantage. However, when combined with the high-caliber forces from other nations' Crusades, and the... uh, seven demigods from The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps, the situation completely reverses."

"Thus, it is not the Crusader helping you to restore your kingdom, but Theodora using the Crusader's forces to restore her own. Zoe, we've been in discussions with the Church Court about the Holy War, and Innocent explicitly supports Theodora's accession."

"Even if the Orthodox Church supported you, without the power from Theodora's side, reclaiming Constantinople would be impossible," added Alexei the Great Shepherd, "So we inevitably can only support Theodora Your Majesty."

"No, no, no!" Under the brutal declarations of these two demigods, Zoe finally crumbled, "You cannot abandon me! I... I am the legitimate daughter of Emperor Constantine, the ruler of the Epirote Monarchy, the Monarch of the entire Sirius Peninsula!"

She screamed hysterically, her eyes bulging fiercely, while her finger nails anxiously scratched her neck, leaving bloody marks.

Theodora turned away, unwilling to witness the scene, while the two demigods remained silent and steadfast, ignoring Zoe's hollow threats.

At this point, the plump banker Michael mustered up his courage, stood in front of his wife, attempting to prevent the two demigods from harming her.

"Take it easy, Michael," Apilius said gravely, "After all, she is my granddaughter, no one could harm her in my presence."

"But she cannot leave this palace," added Alexei the Great Shepherd, "If she returns to Athens, she is certain to organize forces for a futile counterattack. The current Crusade cannot afford internal chaos and division."

"I, I, I understand," Michael said tremblingly, "But I hope, at least she can keep her life..."

"I've already said, I will preserve her life." At this Theodora turned to look at the courageous plump banker and nodded approvingly.

After these two were escorted out by Alexei, Theodora released Aske's hand and relaxed into the sofa, casually asking:

"Squad Leader..."

"Still calling me Squad Leader?"

"Aske," Thira asked thoughtfully, "If you were in that banker's position, would you stand up to protect me?"

"Absolutely," Aske said, "I'd even beg on my knees if I had to."

"Kneeling and begging Aske I wouldn't like," Thira pouted, but her expression showed great satisfaction.

"Instead of engaging in such emotional exercises, it's better to strive to become stronger from the start, so as not to find oneself in such a predicament," Aske corrected her.

"That's correct." Apilius nodded in agreement from the side.

Then these two young ones realized the elder was still beside, Theodora was speechless with embarrassment, whereas Aske laughed it off, changing the topic and said:

"Lord Apilius, we've cleared the road from Thrace to Constantinople; should we proceed with consolidating the forces in Sirius?"

"I will have Quintus take care of that," Apilius nodded, "But before that, Theodora, you need to formally announce your presence to the outside world."

"Announce...really?" Theodora appeared uncertain as she looked toward Aske.

This of course was necessary. Up until now, the world knew of no "Theodora," only "Thira" the mercenary, and now Theodora must formally step onto the stage to properly inherit her sister Zoe's political legacy.

However, Theodora's official debut would mean Thira's retirement... there would presumably be no more time to remain with The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps.

"Perhaps..." Theodora took a deep breath, as though having resolved to make a difficult decision, and was just about to propose to her grandfather that "Aske should be announced as her Co-Ruling Emperor," when Aske interjected:

"Indeed, and considering the Crusade is about to occupy Thrace and approach Constantinople, the sooner the better for this matter."

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