THE PLOT

THE PLOT

The officiating of Kaleon town's new Town Hall went ahead without any glitch. Kaleon Town was now in business.

The Noten House of Magic and Apothecary was open for business together with our newly established Hunter's Guild. 

Herald Times started an expansion because we needed more people to run more news throughout the kingdom. Having a media publishing empire under us prevented our enemies from coming to give us trouble. 

The case of the Mithridocus family's fall from grace was the perfect reminder to those who wish to mess with us, to reconsider.

The time for me to join the Conjurer's Court was coming around and I had one last thing to do before that.

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"What are you proposing to me, Earl of Kaleon?" Prince Raslee asked me.

"I would petition your highness to issue a warrant for Prince Heller and the elders of his family", I told the prince to his shock and surprise.

"How can we do that without proof of any wrongdoing?" Minister Holden asked me.

"There is ample proof. I saw them using dark magic in the Magic Arena", a priest said to the minister.

"Yes, we support Cardinal Dean's proposition absolutely", I replied to the minister.

Cardinal Dean was the priest who was opposed me earlier in the banquet of the prince's daughter. After the Mithridocus family was found practicing dark magic, they went to investigate them but were stopped at the gate by the Mithridocus.

Frustrated, the Cardinal sought our help to present a case to the prince. We were the only ones in the city who would support the church's petition, because we were the enemies of the Mithridocus family.

Obviously, I readily agreed to help the Church of All-seeing.

"So, it is true. The church is aligned with the Kaleon family now", Minister Holden said to us.

"That is not true", Cardinal Dean denied to him again.

"The purpose of this meeting is to reach a Win-Win-Win situation", I told the prince.

"Why do I have reason to believe I am at the losing end of the bargain when I hear those words from you again, Earl of Kaleon?" the prince asked me.

The last time I offered a Win-Win-Win proposal to the prince, we gained a Duke Title and a large piece of land in the city, for a much lower sum than the worth of the land now, after we developed it.

"I propose that we arrest the Mithridocus family, put them on Inquisition and confiscate all their property", I suggested to the prince to his horror and shock.

"The Mithridocus family is a major family in Drachia kingdom. Assuming we could actually get them to submit to us, what are the benefits of doing so to destroy one of the major families?" Minister Holden asked me.

"Win-Win-Win of course. Firstly, Prince Raslee would show to the King and his other sons, how effective the Crown Prince deals with problems in his home turf and shut them up if they ever criticize the prince again", I told the minister who allowed me to continue without interruption.

Dealing with the Mithridocus family who dabbled with Dark magic was a major problem in the mind of the prince lately. He would be made to look incompetent to rule if he couldn't solve this problem effectively.

"Continue", Prince Raslee asked me.

"Secondly, the court will earn much revenue from the confiscation of the Mithridocus family's assets", I said to them.

"That is not so important", Minister Holden replied to me.

"Thirdly, the Church could exterminate the deviants in the Mithridocus family, gaining them prestige, which they need now more than ever after the retreat of the apostles back to Elis", I said to them as Cardinal Dean nodded in approval.

"The Church will be indebted to the Crown Prince if you will do this as a favor to the church", Cardinal Dean told the prince.

"What is in this for you?" Minister Holden asked me.

"Well, we get rid of an enemy for good. Win-Win-Win", I replied to him.

"Assuming that I will allow this proposal, how do we get rid of the Mithridocus family?" Prince Raslee asked us as Minister Holden tried to protest it.

"Hypothetically", Prince Raslee added after the objections of the minister.

"Firstly, we will run daily articles on the proof of the Mithridocus family's practice of Dark magic. I have all the drafts here", I told the prince as I showed him several unpublished news articles.

"Hell, how can you replace Duke Erriley's conjured flaming tiger with a flaming demon head?" Minister Holden asked me about one of the illustrations.

"The truth is in my pen", I replied to the minister who suddenly felt fear upon my words.

I could do to them the same that I would do to the Mithridocus family, if they got on my bad side.

"This cannot be done, the King and my brothers will find me incompetent if they read all these in the news", Prince Raslee told me.

"Oh, don't worry about that. The news that we publish in the other cities will be much muted. These are only for the consumption of Tarah city's people. Once we arrested the Mithridocus family, we will publish many heroic articles about your decisive actions in all this", I told the prince.

"Then what? What if you publish these?" Minister Holden asked me.

"Then the Cardinal and the church can lead the mass to storm the House of Mithridocus for answers, while our armies back them up from behind", I told the prince to his shock and horror.

"But we have no proof to convict the Mithridocus family?" Minister Holden asked me.

"Once we arrested them, they would be given to the church for their Inquisition and they would be out of the hands of the city's justice system, whatever their result would be", I replied to him.

"I am glad that you are not doing this to me, this could very well be an insurrection if the target is changed to me", Prince Raslee told me.

"Of course, that will not happen, if you are my allies", I told the prince.

"Well, Oriese, I am glad you are on my side", Prince Raslee said to me.