Chapter 7: Put It to My Use

Hearing the woman's narration, Lynn, who had been deeply bowing his head, revealed a cold sneer.

His predecessor was truly a complete wretch.

According to his memory, the actual events of the war were vastly different from the report's description.

He who should have been honored as a war hero ended up being slandered as a coward who abandoned his teammates, even erasing all his contributions.

So, Lynn straightened up forcefully, allowing himself to lean back on the seat in a less painful posture.

He was very clear about the theory of Theseus' Ship.

In one's life, all the cells in the body are renewed countless times through metabolism.

Thus, strictly speaking, the person you are from birth to death are two completely different individuals.

So, what exactly defines the essence of a person?

In Lynn's view, it was memory.

Memory determines a person's character and quality, and also determines the choices he makes when faced with countless crossroads in life.

So, why should there be such a clear distinction between his predecessor and Lynn from Blue Star?

At this moment, having inherited his predecessor's memory, he was the youngest son of the Bartleion family.

Therefore, he did not acknowledge the report in the other party's hands.

Thinking this, Lynn looked up.

With the help of the light, he saw Rhein, standing aside with her eyes downcast, and the woman sitting in the chair.

Judging from her figure and temperament, the woman before him must be beyond ordinary beauty but also fearsomely extraordinary.

Like a rose with thorns.

Strangely, she seemed unwilling to reveal her true face, wearing a dark mask with a bizarre floral pattern that hid her fair features.

Apart from a pair of cold and clear beautiful eyes, nothing else could be seen.

A dangerous individual.

Seeing her for the first time, he silently made a judgment in his heart.

It seemed, she was the "Lady" Morris mentioned.

Lynn made his judgment, then smiled helplessly and lifted his tightly shackled wrists, "By the way, these handcuffs are very tight, could you unlock them for me?"

He complained to Rhein.

"Joking can wait until you're dead," Rhein said expressionlessly.

Upon hearing this, Lynn sighed, "It seems we really don't get along... In that case, I have another request."

The cold woman with the mask raised her hand to stop the bursting Rhein and said, "Speak."

"Let him leave," Lynn nodded towards Rhein, "You probably want to ask me some things, right? With him here, I'm too scared to remember anything."

"Okay."

The masked woman nodded slightly, agreeing to Lynn's proposal.

"But…"

Rhein hesitated.

At that moment, Lynn suddenly coughed violently, bowing his head deeply.

With the help of the light, Rhein saw him cough up a pool of blood.

It appeared he had suffered internal injuries from the guard's personal punishment earlier.

If that's the case, this guy should pose no threat now.

Especially since, after being deprived of the Divine-given factor, Lynn Bartleion had long become an ordinary person. Even if he were a bit clever, in the heavily guarded "dungeon," how could he possibly turn the tables?

Rhein's last bit of doubt dissipated.

However, before leaving, he still decided to issue a warning.

So, after nodding in understanding to the Princess, he walked around the table to Lynn, grabbed his hair, and whispered into his ear, "Behave."

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"..."

Lynn parted his lips and flashed a brilliant smile at him.

"Hmph."

Seeing this, Rhein released his hair and then turned away.

For a moment, the cramped cell was left with only Lynn and the masked woman.

"I have met your request. Now, it's time for you to answer my question."

"Do you have anything you wish to say about the details in this report?"

The masked woman's voice was clear and cold, yet eerily melodious.

"Have anything to say..." Lynn seemed to be conversing with her but also seemed to be talking to himself, "Madam, being able to access this dossier indicates that you occupy a high position within the Empire's administrative system."

"In that case, you should also know to what extent those deadbeat idiots would go to cover up the truth for petty gains."

"The incident back then was a setup orchestrated by that woman; it was a thorough defamation."

"So, I do not acknowledge a single word of it."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Behind the mask, the woman's gaze seemed to pierce through Lynn, sizing him up completely.

After a moment, she flipped to the next page of the dossier: "The 'woman' you mentioned, is she your former fiancée, Miss Irina Mosgla from the Snow Eagle family?"

Lynn glanced at her.

"In your testimony at that time, you mentioned that she provided you and your squad with false military orders and intelligence, using you as bait and leading you into a trap that ultimately resulted in the death of all 132 members of your squad."

"And yet, she climbed over the corpses of your comrades to rise in rank, wiping out tens of thousands from the Demon Clan in the Battle of Soron Mountain Range and becoming the youngest 'Valkyrie' in the history of the Empire."

"You even accused her of colluding with the Demon Clan, committing treason."

"Unfortunately, the Empire eventually denied these baseless accusations."

Upon hearing this, Lynn took a deep breath: "You didn't bring me to this place just to rip open my wounds then?"

The masked woman nodded: "Then, let us discuss some information you are unaware of."

She pulled another stack of papers from the dossier.

With Lynn's gaze fixed on her, that cold voice once again rang in his ears.

"In the year and a half since you were exiled to Orn City, some major events have also occurred in the Imperial Capital."

"The first incident is, after leaving the battlefield, your former fiancée Irina participated in an experiment at the Saint Laurent Research Institute."

"With the help of the researchers, she successfully transplanted the Divine-given factor stripped from you and ascended to the Fifth Rank, becoming the only Transcendent among her peers to reach the 'Legendary' Rank."

"This further legitimized the title of 'Empire's Valkyrie.'"

"Subsequently, led by Irina and the Snow Eagle family, a group of nobles began oppress the Bartleion family."

"The first to be directly affected was your father, Marquis Bartleion."

"Due to the mistakes you made, he, as the Military Affairs Minister, was forced to resign and fell severely ill upon returning home, remaining comatose to this day."

"Your brother also died in a military operation. After investigation, the Military Department ruled it as an accident."

"As for you, after being exiled to Orn City, you must have felt it, right?" At this point, the masked woman suddenly raised her head, looking at Lynn, "Those servants who lord over their master, and... the forces secretly trying to assassinate you."

Lynn remained silent.

Unexpectedly, after leaving the Imperial Capital, such earth-shattering changes had occurred there.

The current Bartleion family can only be said to be completely ruined.

However, having said this, Lynn was now somewhat curious about the masked woman in front of him.

"Lady, what exactly is your purpose in seeking me?"

Upon hearing this, the masked woman nodded: "Moving forward, I will speak plainly."

"After experiencing so much injustice, I believe you must be sufficiently enraged by now." The masked woman leaned forward, her palms intersected, "As such, I hope you can turn that rage into strength."

"Lynn Bartleion, I hope you can serve me."

"As for those who slandered you, I will silence them; those who sit high and mighty, I will cast them into the abyss; those who have wronged you... I will ensure they are beyond redemption."

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