Ughhh bruh the mc was not going to save the saintess, they basically searched for many ways to counter the bomb but they were none that involved saving and based on the spymaster knowing nothng about us, even her will get scared to the point of trying to stop us from doing this, like was the mc honest with they past no and did they know our agenda also no and a spymaster job is literally to protect the kingdom, so u can’t fault her for not knowing the situation when a holy figure life was in danger
The Mage did find a counter spell to stop the curse entirely. Ante’s intervention drained them of mana AND time to execute the spell.
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bruh they did not found a counter spell, why on earth did u think they say that there were forced into the position without a choice in it, a person who could have saved some one would have and we will not be where we are in this book if it was possible but the mc big sis was ready for anything except being killed by us and the bomb was literally connected to saintess life force, we could not stop it without killing her and also why on this earth did u think the mc said they have to commit the most cardinals of sins before meeting the saintess
Since I can’t post pictures for some reason, I’m just gonna have to quote it word for word.
“For all that you are a skilled mage, it’s difficult to find the prospect of fighting thirty experienced paladins by yourself attractive. Especially when you need to construct and complete the most complex dispelling enchantment you’ve ever cast in your life immediately afterwards.”
So yes, the mage COULD have stopped the curse bomb without killing the Saintess had Ante just been reasonable.
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I really feel like what Ante did wasn’t an honest mistake. Clearly she was doing her job sure but she was monitoring MC and whatever information she told Leon, he believed later that he should have listened so either it was something that was planted to happen or just Ante giving false information just to add to distrust without proof, clearly she has skill so even being a noobie spymaster she clearly could cloak her presence, people always have eyes on the ones that make waves yet Ante is easily forgotten and those you tend to take your eyes off of tend to do more underhanded things and I mean she clearly could playoff being a newcomer spymaster knowing very little yet know more than what is really told, that whole wolf in sheep’s clothing type of thing. Also Ante did disobey the MC for being a retainer to the king, normally it should have gain access yet we were met with aggression even more aggravating is we keep seeing her when it’s just MC and her…I wonder if she downplays her skills to act the part to get leniency for starting. Sure she was protecting the saintess but it does make me wonder if Leon sent her there or if she went to guard the saintess on her own, a spymaster always gets information for the king yet she is away from the king guarding the saintess like why would a spymaster be their guarding when they are more like scouts behind the scenes not bodyguard standing by a door, information collecting and being able to disorientate the enemies route with false information tend to be their bread and butter. I’m surprise Leon didn’t try and punish Ante after realizing that she disobeyed an order from MC but he could have sent Ante there or Ante twisted words in her favor and make it seem like the MC was hostile and MC couldn’t defend themselves because of the curse…I wonder if Ante did know it just feels like it lines up so oddly. I wonder if it would have been different if the MC could have explained. 
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I think it depends on what you consider a mistake. Was her reaction to the situation a mistake? Yes. Was her monitoring of the MC a mistake? No. At the point of the story where the MC goes off and comes back it’s completely reasonable to be suspicious of the mage who can destroy entire armies, so it would make sense to keep a spy or two watching the MC’s movements. I think Ante’s biggest mistake however is continuing to serve the interests of Julian instead of Leon. (Will expand on this).
I think Ante purposely gave information in such a way that was meant to alienate the MC from Leon. From a passive observer the MC after finishing the war goes and researches magic from the enemy they just defeated for a significant amount of time, and then upon returning they can, potentially, kill or incapacitate soldiers to get to a high ranking religious figure that serves also as a political one. Ante from the first introduction has been hostile towards the MC so taking those series of events it could easily be reported as "The Mc is learning the dangerous magic that Mireil learned and which has caused our Saintess to become non-responsive they are obviously trying to continue where the sister failed.
So as far as I remember Ante is leftover from Julian’s Reign. I think Julians suspicion for the Mc rubbed off on Ante and she might have potentially found out some of the MC’s past which caused her to gain a greater amount of suspicion, this along with the fact that a random mage with extraordinary power just happened to befriend the two future princes and next saintess candidate is even more supsicious. I do think she does downplay her skill, like any good spymaster should, especially because she’s able to shrug off the effects of a phantasm even when most would die from the effects.
She probably kept a few spies within the Saintess’ resident to monitor her condition and to make sure no one would try and assassinate her and was informed when the MC showed up out of the blue and immediately headed towards her residence.
At this point Ante holds no reason to obey any order from the MC as the MC holds no official position and could be potentially hostile.
It does line up all rather oddly, personally I think she might be some sort of double agent who was rapidly promoted during the war from a mid level spy to a high level spymaster and has used her position to further the goals of some 3rd party.
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I’m definitely killing Ante, hopefully Pav let’s us do that without ruining all our relations, lol.
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I always sit on the fence with Ante and will continue to do so until her biases are truly revealed in the story.
But to add on, it’s strange that the Order of the Broken Flame thrived for so long. You’d THINK cracking a big case like that would be a pretty big priority since Julian was working to giving Arcadians a fighting chance. Especially since she was new to her position.
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I am wonder now if there will be an internal feud since some of the people in Param still have the previous king’s mindset of distrust…I did explain in one of my post about MC being isolated and Leon’s mental breakdown in the mix (if any who dare read that long agonizing post 
). If there are people still think of the previous king’s mindset then Leon definitely have no rule then and people going to play by their own rules in the end, also another reason why I could see Leon raging at his people after pressuring him to kill MC rather than look for answers. People wanted blood and given how their home got ransack causing emotions to be high and people praising just showed they didn’t care about MC just wanted to enact ‘justice’. So yeah poor Leon still didn’t get to be a decent king in their eyes and they still follow the old king’s rules…so I hate Leon yet pity him…he discarded the ones that really saw his choices matter against the masses still for a dead older brother’s rule, not giving him a chance and laid blame to Leon silently in the end, the nerve of his people not giving him a chance. 
1 Like
For my vengence playthrough, I am planning (if the story allows) to be really focused on Ante, and less mad at Lyon for killing me, and more mad at all three friends for letting Ante stay in charge after what she did.
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Only one person who’s in charge of that and it’s Leon.
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I’m pretty sure Ilya and Saine both have enough political and real power to force the issue if they really wanted it.
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i am so convinced (based on vibes alone) at this point that ante is apart of the order of the broken flame that it would be so funny if she was actually just like that. i would have to get hanlon’s razor tattooed to my forehead in that case
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I have a question and maybe I overlooked it but does anyone know what Ante looks like? Eye color, hair color, what clothes she’s wearing like is it full blown covered head to toe or just simple bland clothes, last name, anything that stands out like a tattoo, freckles, a scar something? Not knowing how she looks got me wondering…she pops up like a ghost in the night yet disappears, is she really one of those bland looking people to throw you off? Clearly she could easily be overlooked in the story if not careful with all the chaos. Maybe we’ve already met some major player yet don’t see it yet as a big role yet…Ante could be that major mystery character for all I know but I could have sworn I heard in the story that we met that mystery character pulling strings. Might have been in a tumblr ask but I feel like there was something about meeting the character yet not knowing who it is… sorry if I got it wrong but I feel like there was something about it. 
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That’s one of my concerns for the future. Those two are the only reason my mage doesn’t wanna nuke Param into the next ice age. It’s already looking bleak with Ilya’s branch in the interlude.
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not related to anything but it is insane that leon’s middle name is nantael (the parami king who invaded arcadia with salantir) what in isha’s good name was going on with those parents
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Probably a case of “history is written by the victors.” Maybe it’s a name to be proud of (according to them) cuz he defeated the big Arcadian baddies.
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Going further back, I don’t remember WHO told me holy swords were just distributed willy nilly to Param’s Paladins, but I was lied to. I checked every fight scene and not once was it ever brought up that paladins used holy swords in book 1. The only holy/blessed sword used is the one Leon has.
Edit: The paladins themselves are “blessed” by Jove with strength and whatever. That’s the only time blessed and paladins are in the same sentence book 1.
I have yet to check book 2, but the lies you tell, whoever you are.
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I also have to respectfully disagree on this. Her bias towards the MC is a fact. I’m not sure about a counter spell, but after the Mage found out what kind of detonation spell it was, the Mage knew how to undo it. It was Ante’s intervention that costed both the MC their precious mana AND time needed to undo the spell. Left with no choice, the Mage had to kill the late Saintess Shiraya in order to save the entire Sienan Capital.
I usually like to leave things up to readers’ own interpretation, but Ante’s actions aren’t things I can leave so.
I remember she was described as having a thin build, and she wears a cloak like most spies do. I may have misremembered this and I’m not 100% sure, but I remember reading her as having brown skin, dark hair and eyes. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on this.
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Ante seems to have a very easily forgettable look yet her actions raises red flags and if she does have a cloak, is it covering her face?, could she be hiding something?..it’s unsettling how she can be so forgettable yet irredeemable at the same time, she’d be perfect for causing chaos to happen. She’s remembered as that thorn in our side yet trying to remember anything about her is easily forgotten…she definitely would be the type of person I’d be watching in the end, nothing good can come if we go back to Param…I know I sound like a broken record but she is suspicious…
She hates MC without saying it, she seems to show her face to MC before big moments from reclaiming the throne and saintess, she can literally cloak her presence from MC and even the MC said they done nothing wrong well in one of the options it does, she got the upper hand in know basic knowledge that Leon and MC are friends/lovers through the book 1 and could have easily spew lost of things to make Leon even more insecure, she solely focused on talking to Leon so clearly Saine and Ilya weren’t poisoned by whatever was said even if Leon is king, Ante preyed on Leon’s insecurities and if monitoring MC clearly could been a chance to learn more than what we know.
Ante is literally more than she wanting to let on, she act like a side character yet played critical role in MC demise. Clearly can play the part of being a duty bound spymaster and do her role yet it seems that role she had revolved mainly on the MC nonstop even when in war with Miriel, if the MC wanted to screw something up then clearly they would have been caught in it too in the war but they fought with their friends to fight Miriel handicap or not. I’m rather curious about how Miriel just popped up and just randomly killed Julian too…while we talked with one of our White Fang crew, I wonder if this was planned, I mean MC did get to be retainer and came back from the plague town where everyone were mingling with everyone. Wish we had a perspective of what was going on in Miriel’s mindset and how she got inside and attacked so easily, did she blend in at the party of did she slip in somehow, I mean if she got in that easy even when a party was happening then the guards are some serious slackers…
Guess I just got a grudge with Ante because of the unintended hate and bias…clearly people who talk smack about someone real bad behind your back got something to hide for themselves and Ante being so low on most people’s radar they can just see her as that simple spymaster still new to the job and a slap on the wrist for mistakes. What better way for a newcomer to spite someone than to screw up intentionally even if they were taught how to do it only for the one responsible ends up be the person hiring or even training them but since this use to be julian’s spy clearly they would overlook this because julian was that perfect king they liked so they wouldn’t discredit a choice of someone they liked yet better way to point fingers at Leon for his fault for MC, to point fingers at him for bringing a disaster yet act as if nothing when realized MC was good but nothing else in return other than a holiday(bet how many would remember MC on that holiday 
).
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