The night had fully fallen over the royal capital, yet the council chamber deep within the palace remained brightly lit.
The heavy carved doors were pushed shut by attendants, sealing off even the last whisper of wind from outside.
On both sides of the long table, seats were already filled.
Apart from the Astarea family, the oldest noble families of the kingdom were all present, with dukes and princes attending in person.
Draped in their family crests and honors, they occupied one side of the table.
On the other side sat high-ranking mages draped in robes.
They kept their eyes lowered and remained silent.
Only faint, yet-unsettled fluctuations of magical power could be felt in the air.
The entire council chamber was still, as if frozen.
No one spoke first.
Everyone already knew what had happened in the royal capital today.
They also understood that tonight’s hastily convened Imperial Council was no ordinary discussion.
The royal family’s First Princess, Veronica Rune.
Within the royal capital.
At a location less than a few dozen miles from the various Associations and the Royal Academy of Magic, she had been ambushed in a premeditated attack.
Master Wien, the Grand Mage, sensed the anomaly and arrived at the scene in time.
Otherwise, the princess would have perished.
This incident had shaken the entire royal capital.
Even though everyone was aware of the young princess’s condition, she was still the royal family’s princess, the King’s most beloved daughter.
The silence lasted for a long time.
Until the high doors at the far end of the council chamber opened once more.
Several attendants stood on either side as His Majesty the King walked in slowly.
He was not wearing formal attire, only draped in a dark robe.
The luxurious yet understated fabric reflected his face, which looked colder and more somber than usual.
His eyes, which bore some resemblance to Veronica’s, calmly swept across both sides of the table, causing many present to tremble inwardly.
“Everyone has arrived.”
It was not the warm greeting as usual; the King’s tone was exceptionally cold.
No one present dared to respond.
He stood before the seat at the head of the table, placing his hand on the armrest.
His gaze swept over the nobles on both sides of the table, the pillars of the kingdom.
“Today, within the royal capital, someone set up an ambush to attack the princess.”
“Barriers, hidden troops, large-scale fire-type spells, and even subsequent support.”
“Tell me, all of you—”
A cold light shot from the King’s eyes, and he slammed his hand on the table!
Bam!
“Is Rune about to fall?!”
Feeling the King’s wrath, everyone’s hearts trembled.
On the right side of the long table, a marquis was suddenly kicked under the table by someone.
He could only brace himself and stand up, saying in a low voice: “Your Majesty, this matter is grave. We know nothing of it. If someone truly dared to commit such a treasonous act in the royal capital—”
“Know nothing of it?”
The King sat down. His tone remained flat.
“The public order of the royal capital is handled by the nobles in turns, and city defenses are approved by the Noble Council. Now even assassins can set up magic circles on the streets.”
“And now you tell me—you know nothing of it?”
That marquis’s face turned pale, and his whole body trembled.
“Or perhaps the authority, land, taxes, and weapons you’ve taken over these years are only enough for you to show off your family names at banquets, but not enough to keep even a single street in the royal capital secure?”
As these words fell, the faces of several old nobles on the other side of the table grew ugly.
They didn’t know whether the King was interrogating or using this as an excuse to attack.
Perhaps it was both.
But no one could speak up to refute him; they could only discreetly glance at the opposite side.
Wien, seated at the head of the left side, had not spoken at all.
The elderly Grand Mage just sat quietly at the side, with his eyes closed, looking composed and unhurried.
It seemed that this meeting, which almost overturned the balance of power in the entire royal capital, had little to do with him.
Yet it was precisely his silence that made many in the hall dare not act rashly.
The crisis that befell the princess today had ultimately been handled by this Chairman himself.
What he had seen, what he knew—no one knew.
The only thing that gave the nobles some peace of mind was—
As long as he was here, the direction of this meeting would not completely slip out of control.
What no one expected was that the King tapped twice on the table.
“Convey my decree.”
“Effective today, the Northern Third Street and the Academy Outer Perimeter are to be placed under the review of the royal guards.”
“The patrol authority originally held by the nobles is suspended for three months, and Duke Harry, who is responsible, will also submit to review.”
The nobles on this side were all in an uproar.
“Your Majesty!—”
But the King had no intention of acknowledging them.
“Furthermore, transfer thirty percent of the royal capital’s fire-type magical device reserves to the royal military depot.”
“The quotas for privately kept guard knights by each house must also be re-verified.”
Someone could no longer sit still.
“Your Majesty!”
A middle-aged count abruptly stood up.
“City defense patrols and guard quotas have always been related to the order of the royal capital. If they are suddenly taken back—”
“Order?”
The King looked up at him.
That gaze was extremely light, yet it made one’s breath catch.
“My daughter was attacked in the royal capital, and now you talk to me about order?”
The count opened his mouth, but a chill quickly crept up his back, and he could no longer utter the rest of his words.
The King looked coldly at everyone.
“Since you cannot protect it, I will protect it myself.”
“Or do some of you have objections to my decision?”
After a brief dead silence.
Finally, someone stepped forward.
An old duke slowly rose, his voice low but steady.
“Your Majesty.”
“We are equally enraged by the princess’s attack.”
“But if you use this as an excuse to revoke patrols, military quotas, and city defense deployments all at once—”
He paused.
“I fear it will shake the very foundation of the royal capital.”
The King looked at him, a faint smile appearing on his stern face.
As if hearing a joke.
“Shake the foundation?”
He repeated coldly.
“What is shaking now is my royal family.”
“Or your power?”
The hall fell into a dead silence.
Everyone could see that this was using the princess’s attack to take the opportunity to weaken the nobles’ control over the royal capital’s defenses and private troops.
Taking advantage of the moral high ground, leaving no room for negotiation.
But why was the King so assertive tonight, not giving them any chance to react?
Especially after finishing his words, the King slowly turned his gaze to the left side.
The nobles present felt uneasy.
Could it be that the two sides had reached an agreement behind the scenes?
Many harbored such speculations, but before they could probe—
The King continued his announcement with a cold face.
“Furthermore, the Academy’s outer perimeter magic formation, city mana flow monitoring, and screening of unregistered large-scale spell traces within the royal capital will, from today, also be fully assisted by the Association for the royal family.”
“If there are any obstructions from the Council, you are responsible for coordinating.”
“Can you do it, Master Wien?”
This sentence was what truly made everyone in the hall hold their breath.
The King was actually publicly confronting the kingdom’s Grand Mage, arranging tasks for him with a tough attitude?!
In recent generations, the royal family’s power had declined, while the power of the council formed by the various associations had grown. The royal family had to court these nobles to check each other.
Although the current King could be called a wise monarch with impressive methods, having recovered many powers in recent years,
but tonight’s arrangements were really going too far…
Everyone waited.
They waited to see what attitude the Chairman of the Ruen Royal Magic Academy and the last remaining Grand Mage of the kingdom would take.
Wien raised his eyes. His aged eyes were calm and unruffled.
After a moment, he slowly rose and bowed to the King.
“This is the Association’s oversight.”
“With regard to Your Majesty’s demands, the Association will comply completely.”
No evasion, no probing, not even putting forward a single condition.
He agreed very straightforwardly.
So straightforward that many on the nobles’ side looked extremely displeased.
They had originally hoped that the Association would speak up to check and balance, so that the King’s fire tonight would not burn too fiercely.
But no one expected Wien to accept all the demands so calmly.
That count who had tried to argue earlier sat back down weakly.
Even the Association had voluntarily retreated, what could they do?
Continuing to oppose would only make them, the nobles, seem guilty in their hearts.
“Since I have taken over—if any incidents occur, the responsibility will also be borne by the royal family.”
“What do you think, everyone?”
No one answered; everyone lowered their heads.
The King watched this scene and suddenly let out a laugh.
“Very well.”
“No one has anything to say, right?”
Everyone present heard this with a start, and those who had naively thought the matter would end here became tense again.
The next moment—
The King swept his gaze over everyone, his voice suddenly lowering.
“But I still have something to say!”
The moment these words fell, the entire council chamber seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer.
The King no longer concealed his anger.
“These years, what have you been discussing with me every day?”
“Talking about autonomy, talking about the council, talking about how royal power should not interfere in minor matters.”
“You spoke plausibly.”
“Fine!”
His tone suddenly sank.
“And now?!”
“My daughter can actually be set upon by an ambush on a street in the royal capital!”
“Where were you people?!”
No one dared to move.
“Where was the city defense?!”
No one answered.
“Where were the patrols?!”
A deathly silence.
The King’s gaze abruptly fell to one side.
“Duke Harry!”
The middle-aged man whose name was called instantly turned pale.
He was about to open his mouth to explain.
The King pointed at him and roared in fury.
“Kneel!”
The man immediately knelt down as if his bones had been pulled out.
A dull thud echoed on the carpet, striking everyone’s chest.
“During the daily routine reports, you all told me there were no problems.”
The King’s gaze swept over face after face.
“Do you think I want to manage these things?”
He let out a cold laugh.
“Do you think I am willing to keep an eye on your accounts, troop quotas, and patrol rotations?”
“If you did well enough, why would I have to ask even a single question!”
“But look at yourselves—”
“What a mess you’ve made over the years!”
“You took power, divided the land, raised people—”
“And the royal capital of Rune has become a hunting ground for the royal family!”
“Your Majesty, forgive us—!”
The King’s rebuke was like a heavy hammer, shattering the calm that had persisted for years in the court council chamber.
No one present had ever seen the King so furious; they all stood up and knelt down.
But the King did not even glance at them.
“Now that something has happened.”
“You come to me, one after another, saying—unaware?”
He tapped the table and slowly uttered the final few words.
“I don’t believe it.”
Just three short words.
Yet they sent a chill down everyone’s spine more than any roar.