The Duke's Plot

The discussion progressed on for a few more hours, covering various topics about the kingdom and its problems.

Once again, much to Aldway's surprise, Symond proved to be far more useful than any other noble there and it was also an advantage to hear.

There was also a modest air about him while still maintaining a dignified manner as a noble. He was also taking the meeting quite seriously despite being quite young, and always took the time to ponder before raising a suggestion or question which increased Aldway's respect for him.

Out of everyone in the room, only Aldway's brother, Duke Lenderg was the only one who seemed to be taking the whole conference in a most laid-back way. He wasn't even pretending to be interested which made Aldway and a couple of other nobles annoyed. The kingdom's future was at stake here.

None of them except a few knew Duke Lenderg was actually scheming a serious plan in his head. His brother would be assassinated by the end of the meeting, and he would be a step closer to being the ruler of the country. It was perfect; since he was the king's brother, he would be next in line.

However, he didn't show his intentions, covering them up with a nonchalant expression and several other nobles in the conspiracy did the same. They were all part of the rebellion, most of them were those who were corrupt and didn't like the strict laws the king imposed, and others just wanted more power and fame under a new king.

The conversations didn't last much longer afterward all the topics were addressed, some left unsolved and in need of further inspection, and others handled reasonably. Aldway even had several nobles who were confirmed of bribery and fraud dragged away though he suspected there were still a bunch more covering up their actions.

A small banquet was held before every noble and official finally left, following the end of the meeting. Aldway returned to his bedchambers wearily and paced the room. Though he had resolved several matters that day, it did not put his mind at ease and he pondered the theories Symond mentioned.

Just as he said, it was very likely that someone or other was pulling the strings. First, the war with the beastfolks could very well have been a ruse to weaken both countries, then to amass numbers while they were vulnerable. Or the beasts could've already been starting to grow during the war and there could be millions waiting to attack the kingdom at this instant.

Had they been ignorant of all this happening right under their noses the whole time?

Aldway shook his head as he looked out the window at the beautiful city of Rivendon. The bright sun shone down on streets of beautiful houses, and people went about their daily lives, not knowing the imminent crisis that was about to befall the country. Aldway wanted nothing more than for his people to live their lives happily without hardships, for the country to prosper.

To Aldway, his people were almost just as important as his daughter- no almost like his family. He wanted nothing more for his people than to live their lives to the fullest and happily. He was perhaps one of the few nobles who truly wanted the country to prosper and had no desire for money, fame, and power.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for most of the nobles, his brothers Duke Lenderg, or even the Church of the 6 Divines. This was one of the reasons why he hadn't invited anyone from the church to the discussion that day even though they were one of the largest powers in the country, almost on the same level as the Imperial family. Aldway had always suspected them to have dishonest dealings but never had enough evidence to prove it.

'If only my loyal advisor, the Storm Sage were still here... He'd know exactly what to do. ' He sighed as he closed his eyes and rested his hands on the windowsill. 'Well no use brooding over it, Eldrick has been dead for years...'

The bustling sounds of the city seemed much quieter and peaceful from the palace bedroom and there was the occasional flutter of wings as birds flew by the windows. If only this peace would last forever. But not all good times last forever, like the afternoon sun that slowly faded out of sight as dark storm clouds rapidly drew over the sky, obscuring the blue peace.

He gazed at his city for a few more moments, lost in thought before he felt a presence in the room with him, and though there were no sounds of movement, there were careless traces of presence concealing magic.

"You may leave." He said with a dismissive wave, thinking it was an imperial spy. "I have no need of you at the moment."

But there was no reply and the presence lingered in the room, like the faint scent of a rotten cabbage that remained. Though Aldway had no practice in concealing arts, he could tell someone's presence easily since he was so used to having a hidden guard by his side at all times. But whichever rank or squadron this imperial spy was from, his power was amateurish at best and the king was quite disappointed that his Intelligence was becoming this unskilled.

"Did you not hear me?" He asked coldly and turned around to face the room. "I'm not in such a good mood righ- Huh? Who the blazes are you?"

He was expecting to see the standard black and white cloak of the imperial spy section, but instead what he was seeing almost made his eyes hurt.

A man in a flashy black outfit stood blocking the doorway, his robes seemed to be of expensive fabric and with so many accessories that he could probably be mistaken for a Christmas tree. His outfit copied the style of ancient assassination robes and the spy uniforms, but no matter how one looked at it, it looked more comical than unsuspecting which defeated the purpose of wearing an assassins' cloak in the first place.

Half of his face was concealed by a scarf but Aldway recognized him instantly from his eyes and a glimpse of the butler uniform underneath his cloak. He had seen him at the meeting today as Lenderg's personal servant that accompanied him. Shouldn't he have left with Lenderg already?

"What is a lowly servant like you doing here?" Auden said with a glare so intense that it could cut glass. A king's room was one of the most important places in the whole palace and even just stepping into one without permission could be considered an act of treachery and lead to execution. Either this person was out of their mind or wanted to lose their head. "Best you get out of here before I call the guards."

"Keheheh, you must be pretty skilled to be able to notice I was here instantly..."

'Uh no.' Aldway thought, resisting the urge to facepalm. 'Your presence sticks out like a store thumb. Even a baby would cry if you were within 10 meters of them. Just how did you manage to slip into the living quarters of the castle?'

The intruder smirked and swished his robes dramatically, making the accessories jingle. "I am the greatest assassin hired by Lord Lenderg! You shall die by my hands."

'What kind of halfwitted assassin reveals their identity to their target. Not to mention even giving away their employer's name... How hasn't anyone caught and thrown out this numbskull yet.'

"Keheheheh, I'm afraid the royal guards you were so proud of won't be showing up this time, and there won't be any interference from the maids either." The so-called assassin continued still smirking and holding up a silver dagger that glinted in the rays of sunlight. Even the weapon was decorated so much that even the king recoiled in discomfort. "Lord Lenderg personally made sure that no one disturbs us."

"I couldn't care less," Aldway interjected loudly, folding his arms. "Take your ornamental costume and be gone before I-"

A sudden *fwoosh-* cut him off as the assassin suddenly threw his blade at the king. Taken by surprise, Aldway stepped back and deflected the dagger with a hasty blast of light. The dagger bounced back before making a wide turn and speeding back to the person's hands.

'So he isn't completely unskilled after all.' Aldway thought doubtfully. 'He was probably using wind magic to speed up and control the direction of his knives.'

Now this poses another problem. If he was actually serious about being an assassin, that would mean this was the 4th assassin his brother Lenderg had sent after him this month. Aldway had not been able to derive information from the previous three, they had all killed themselves instead of ratting out their master. Though this one didn't seem too formidable and Aldway might actually get some evidence from him.

Instinctively, he reached for his waist before remembering he had left his sword in the armory that morning after practice. And since he didn't keep any kind of weapons in his room anymore (his daughter had just removed his ornamental spear last week saying it was dangerous in a bedroom), he would have to rely on magic.

Aldway wasn't worried at all since he was quite adept in magic and he had an Alter-Elemental affinity of light which he could freely wield. He was just worried he might actually go overboard and kill the poor idiot.

"Talk's over. Any last words?" The assassin sniggered as he threw three more silver daggers that zigzagged across the room before following after with a fourth one raised. 'Fleeting Currents!'

Aldway concentrated on the flow of magic essence and conjured a wall made of light to block the three whizzing knives. For some reason the moment he released his spell, he was starting to feel incredibly dizzy. His vision was splitting into two and starting to blur. He tried to cast a he could feel his energy wavering and only a flicker of light wrapped around his hand. He felt like he could vomit if he got any dizzier.

"Hah, the effects are kicking in." Aldway blurrily heard the assassin say, leaping and bringing down the dagger towards his chest at a high speed. He didn't know if he even had enough strength left in his legs to dodge the strike.

'Mana Disruption Poison!' He realized it too late. 'Did someone put it in my food at the banquet?'

True to its name, Mana Disruption Poison disrupted the flow magic essence from within a person causing them to become extremely nauseous and weakening them. Furthermore, it was incredibly hard to detect since it wasn't a strong poison which meant it would've been easy to slip a vial or two into his drinks.

To a mage, this was ten times worse than normal poison. Purification magic didn't work and once consumed, one could only wait for the effects to wear off.

But waiting was not an option now.