Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Ten Years (1)

Adrian knew he couldn't simply declare himself the new leader. While the major power players were all gone, other influential forces remained, and they wouldn't accept an unknown figure usurping power so easily.

The Academy, in particular, was a formidable entity. It had remained largely untouched by the war, as its staff and students shielded from being drafted.

The instructors, many of them powerful mages and knights, were all present and at full strength. Their allegiance was still with the old regime, and Adrian understood he needed their cooperation, not their opposition.