Inside the Nexes Palace, within the House of Nobles.
A torrential storm raged outside, thunder booming and lightning searing the sky—a scene of apocalyptic dread. Yet the semicircular hall had already filled with every member of the House of Nobles who was in Lantar: a sea of white wigs and black cloaks.
Had natural lightning not been so fearsome—so powerful that no warrior below the rank of Golden Knight dared fly through such a tempest—the House of Nobles might have witnessed the rare sight of full attendance. As it was, barely an hour had passed since King Feitus and Crown Prince Patrick were called to the Lord.
Of course, those nobles who could not make it had already learned the details through remote communication, via their representatives and allies in Lantar, and had relayed their positions.
At that moment, they had never been more grateful to the "Allinor Telephone and Telegraph Company." The "wired telephones" the company had been promoting, though still running at a loss due to the complex and costly infrastructure required, remained limited to connections between Lantar and the capitals of a few other counties, with fewer than five hundred installed lines. Yet in weather like this, for nobles who had no way to set up or use expensive Teleportation Circles, the telephone was an invaluable channel of communication. Many nobles who had tasted its convenience now resolved to support its further expansion.
"How could His Highness have been called to the Lord?" Count Haisong, having taken a hot bath in the lounge and changed into fresh clothes and a new white wig, finally emerged from the daze of shock that had left him unable to think. Pinning a white paper flower to his chest, he took his seat in the front row and turned to question
The four of them were the leaders of the Progressive faction apart from Crown Prince Patrick. At a time like this, they had to coordinate in advance and avoid any infighting, lest the nobles on their side lose confidence.
Duke James had also put on a white wig to conceal his bald head. He said grimly, "I don't know either. By the time Russell and I arrived at the Nexes Palace, it was already like this. We examined His Highness's body and found nothing unusual. It truly was the result of excessive grief causing his already-frail body to give way. With Lord Ctonia standing guard, I don't believe anyone could have assassinated him."
Ctonia, known as the "Heart of Time," was one of the Holm Kingdom's two Epic Knights. In the entire world, fewer than five knights had reached the Legendary Third Rank—he and
They said that under Ctonia's protection, assassination was impossible—yet not a trace of conviction could be seen on James's face.
"Lord Ctonia is a hero of the Dawn War, an Epic Knight who fought alongside the late king to topple the Magic Empire's rule over the Holm region. But he is very old now, nearing the end of his life, and has more matters to consider and arrange than an ordinary person would." Duke Russell spoke expressionlessly. "He is not like Lord Winston of the Solonfen family, who can quietly observe from the sidelines."
Winston, known as the "Nightwalker," was the Holm Kingdom's other Epic Knight, currently rotating through duty guarding the colonial territories the kingdom had secured in several alternate dimensions.
Viscount Harrison sneered, "I don't believe for a second that His Highness died of excessive grief over His Majesty's passing."
As far as Harrison, Haisong, and the others knew, Patrick had held the position of Crown Prince for thirty or forty years. Conflicts with the king over authority were inevitable, and their relationship had long since turned cold. After their philosophies diverged sharply, they had become complete strangers. If someone had told them Prince Patrick died because he was overcome with joy, they might have actually believed it.
"Things have already reached this point. We need to set aside our grief and focus on two things: first, secretly engage mages from the Magic Parliament to investigate the truth of the prince's death, so we hold the initiative going forward; second, activate our contingency plan and throw our full support behind David's ascension to the throne." Count Haisong's blue eyes sharpened once more as his composure returned.
Patrick had always been in poor health. These Progressive nobles had long been prepared for the possibility that he would die before the king, so after a brief period of shock and panic, they did not lose their wits.
David's father had been a cousin of King Feitus, as well as the nephew and student of Grand Mage Morris. Though he had perished during an expedition, the Great Knight David had been thoroughly shaped by his upbringing. In both daily affairs and the administration of his lands, he leaned entirely toward the Progressive faction. In the eyes of Duke James and the others, he was the most suitable candidate among the royal family—and by blood, he was quite close, placing him fourth in the line of succession according to noble law.
"Good." Duke James nodded firmly, his mouth moving ceaselessly as he relayed the agreed-upon plan to the other Progressive nobles.
A short while later, the Speaker of the House of Nobles entered—a man draped in a black cloak and wearing a white wig. Known as the "King's Gryphon,"
"
Duke James's face turned ashen. "Didn't he publicly vow to serve the Lord for life? Didn't he withdraw from the
"An eighth-rank Sky Knight, barely past fifty... the Sword of Rending..." Duke Russell and Viscount Harrison murmured to themselves, their expressions grave.
The entire hall erupted into commotion. The other nobles, whether Progressive or Conservative, could not help but discuss it among themselves. This Gordon was the Hofenberg family's genius and oddball—he had become a Sky Knight at the mere age of thirty-five, and King Feitus had appointed him Vice Commander of the Sword of Truth Knight Order, placing great hopes upon him. Yet he was also a devout believer, and at forty, he had traveled to the Holy City of Lantz and joined the Templar Knights.
His blood relation to King Feitus was considerably more distant than David's, but the rank of Sky Knight alone carried enough weight to catapult his position in the line of succession, placing him roughly alongside David in the first tier. And though the Hofenberg family was not exactly lacking in members, the vast majority either had distant blood ties and were not knights—making them unable to compete with these two—or had already embarked on the path of Arcane Magic, voluntarily renouncing their claim.
Duke James and the others had initially assumed Rex would favor his nephew, Alex, who had just awakened the Sword of Truth bloodline. In that case, whether by knightly strength or by closeness of blood, David's succession would have been unambiguous. Who could have predicted that Gordon would actually come back?
The sharp crack of a gavel rang out from the front, and the hall of the House of Nobles fell instantly silent.