"A hand of darkness dominates the royal court of Nathia."
"A hand unseen to all but a few."
"It manipulates the happenings of the kingdom, affecting every big move made."
"A shadowed figure that watches."
"A shadowed figure that judges."
"A shadowed figure that will execute the unworthy.
"The corrupt."
"Those who choose wrong."
"Those who grasp for control of the Nathian throne."
"In the darkness he resides."
Until the time when his machinations must come to the light."
Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in Dynasties Online.
….
"Not unless you will it too, or the weapon suddenly changes its owner."
Railius said seriously. This had been one of his theories, but it was only now that he realised just how deep the Nathian kings' plotting went, hidden in the shadows of the palace like a sword of darkness slowly being positioned until it fell, beheading those beneath.
King Luther's eyes went wide, the only change in his expression, but it was the half-drawn sword of his royal guard commander and a set of system notifications that appeared before Railius that surprised him the most.
[You have discovered traces of the grandmaster-level political plot 'A Realms Rebirth.']
[Congratulations to the player Rising Pelican Of Loyalty for being the first player to detect a grandmaster-level political plot.]
[Rewarding player with the Inheritable Dynasty Trait 'Politically Sensitive' and the 'Politics' skill at the expert level.]
[Due to you being able to detect the presence of a grandmaster-level plot through nothing but logic conjecture and the reactions of the mastermind, the insight skill will automatically be upgraded to the expert level.]
[Would you like your name to be broadcast in the world system announcement?]
Railius suddenly froze as if his entire body was encased in a glacier of ice, with his eyes widening in surprise as much as the king's did when he realised that Railius may have detected his plot.
Of course, because it was a grandmaster-level plot, Railius had no idea of its true extent, but it was already very impressive for him to even be able to detect its presence, as usually such plots are only discovered when they have already ensnared or killed you.
Railius really wanted to open up the information he had on this massive plot designed by a mediocre-looking king whose tendrils have actually already stretched to every corner of the kingdom, and look at his new skills and Inheritable Dynasty trait.
But right now, he still had to deal with that king, who, even in his shock, was constantly judging him and somehow persuading him to spare his life after he had just found out about his big secret at their first meeting.
For the first time in Railius' life in the game, he was not confident in being able to escape this situation with his life.
Because the king of Nathia was much more terrifying and capable than any other man he has had to persuade before.
And if the half-drawn sword of the royal guard commander was anything to go by, then he was one single wrong sentence away from a quick death.
Railius didn't even think it would take 2 seconds.
As not even the threat of Leon would be able to save his life should the Nathian king think that Railius was more trouble than his worth.
An unfortunately true statement if the waves the young fallen noble had caused were anything to go by, even if these waves had inadvertently helped the king in his goal.
A goal that even after detecting the presence of a nationwide plot was unclear to Railius, though he did have some educated guesses.
And the guess was simple.
King Luther was well aware of the problems that afflicted his country, but he had endured them.
He had allowed the nobility to think they were in charge, that he would mostly submit to their will, as it was only in the matter of succession that he seemed stubborn, refusing to dispose the crown prince that many feared due to his talent.
If nothing else, everyone in Nathia grudgingly agreed on one thing.
The king may be mediocre, seemingly swaying with the wind, refusing point blank to change his successor, yet letting Prince Rahlan, the crown prince's main competitor, gain power and win over ministers if the second prince could, seemingly unaware that he was creating a future succession crisis.
But he had a good eye for talent and knew who he could entrust affairs to.
Whether it was Prime Minister Winston in the court or Great General Ranier Lantier at the border guarding Nartook Fortress from Chavarian incursions, both men were capable and loyal, able to keep the kingdom running even if the king was less capable.
It allowed the king to stay in the shadows, subtly moving pieces across the chessboard while others were not looking.
Some of the king's own moves were seen by the world as having been done by Prime Minister Winston, so deep did this deception run.
So the only logical reason why King Luther had let things continue as they had, even to the point of destroying Luther's own reputation, was because he was planning something huge that would send shockwaves through the kingdom and likely even the world.
He was gathering all his political enemies and those who are corrupt and hurting the kingdom together….
All so that he could eliminate them all in one go with one swing of the sword, then burn their roots to ash so they could never again sprout and cause more trouble.
He was using the succession crisis and the conflict that followed to test every single noble in the kingdom.
It was cold.
Ruthless.
Merciless.
A scheme that may even lead to him having to sentence his own son to death.
Yet the king was willing to sacrifice his own family to purge the termites and corruption in his realm.
All for his kingdom and his citizens.
All to stop the kingdom from fracturing and the corrupt nobles from rebelling again and again, causing untold destruction to the land and the peasantry.
Instead, a roaring fire will be ignited, burning away all the filth and rot that infests the kingdom.
One fire instead of many.
One rebellion rather than many.
It was as terrifying as it was admirable.
Yet through it all, through all the trials, tribulations and doubts, the king did not flinch once.
Not even his own family made him hesitate for a second.
And now King Luther Kendari, the man who everyone except a hidden select few thought was nothing more than an ornament on a throne to please….
An observer in the games that the ministers and nobles of the royal court
Was looking at Railius with the eyes of a tiger ready to pounce on his prey and a killing intent that sends shivers down the spine.
The old king of Nathia was not prey but a predator, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Clothing which he had finally shed in the presence of Railius to reveal just how formidable this old ruler was.
Railius was silent, his face a composed mask that had been perfected over his time in the game due to dealing with lords both high and low, so even if he felt nervous, it would not show.
Not anymore.
"What makes you think that I had anything to do with the factions of the court?"
The king asked in a cold voice that the fact that the king had not immediately ordered him killed meant there were reasons to keep him alive.
"Because it achieves your majesty's objective."
Railius said respectfully, his head and body bowed.
"My objective?"
The king asked with a raised eyebrow. It was time to test just how talented Railius Aurellion was.
"Your majesty wants to deal with the long-standing issues that infect your realm like parasites."
"It's just a shame that these issues will never be eradicated fully."
Now that piqued the king's interest, as Luther had quickly come to understand that the words that Railius says when he is serious can have many implied meanings.
"Why?"
The Nathian king asked with more interest than coldness in his voice, for he had spoken many times with people who had seen the internal problems of Nathia. Each had their own beliefs in how to solve them, but this is the first time he had ever heard someone other than Winston say that they may not be able to be eradicated.
It's because a student of history will know that these problems plague all governments and countries and decline hits all kingdoms, empires, and even republics.
"Because we are only human and humans, like everything else, are imperfect."
"Which means that all of our solutions and governmental systems will be imperfect even if they are good or seem to be at the time."
Railius said with a passion rarely found in the eccentric man who has always loved musing about politics and philosophy.
"I never took you for a philosopher."
King Luther said, though he is not surprised, as philosophy and morals are one of the many keys that a ruler needs to own to unlock the potential of a nation.
"Compared to your majesty's wisdom, my small opinions and tricks are worthless, taught to me by Malwin. All I can do is try to help carry your burdens."
Railius said his voice was retuning to one of a flattering courtier, even if his words held far more substance than a fool who only says and repeats what the king wants to hear.
"What would you know of my solutions and burden?"
The king asked in a sharp voice.
"You want to use the conflict for the Nathian throne to charge all the problematic nobles and powerful elements with treason."
"Am I right?"
Railius replied with a small smile gracing his once impassive face.
King Luther's hand clenched when he heard his intentions and plans so accurately told to him.
The silence lasted for only a second until Railius continued.
"Nathia has many problems, but almost all can be boiled down to corruption, selfishness and mismanagement amongst some ministers, merchants and parts of the nobility."
"In the royal court, these nobles and ministers sought to pass laws that only benefited themselves, even if they conflicted with what was good for the realm."
"They are also corrupt, using their connections to cover up their greed, meaning that even if Your Majesty assigns millions of gold to help stave off disasters, only half is likely to make it to the people."
"They act by proxy, never having any direct evidence to prove their wrongdoing, yet everyone knows who ordered it, who benefited from these crimes.
"Crimes that seem minor to the realm, when in my view, such a crime represents the decay of morality, the cancer of corruption, and has effects and consequences that are tantamount to treason against the crown and state."
"I'm sure that Your Majesty still remembers why my overprotective subordinates in Nathia took such drastic action."
"Tell me how many others do you think suffered as I did?"
"There is only one difference between me and them…."
"I could defend myself against their plots and even fight back against these powerful nobles."
"As if a collection of barons, viscounts, and landed knights would be able to assassinate someone even the Chavarian Emperor can not get his hands on."
"But unlike me, who has the Pelican Guards, one of the most powerful small military forces in the world to protect me, most are not that lucky."
"They are suppressed and killed by these powerful people the moment they dare to do anything that harms their interests."
"They are like children desperately holding onto their last piece of candy, unwilling to let it go, despite the cartload they have just waiting for them nearby, while others can't even see one piece of candy in their lifetime."
Railius said coldly, revealing his disdain for these people, even if he understood why they existed and became the despicable pieces of shit they were today.
"It seems you understand my burdens…."
The king began, his words trailing off slightly before becoming sharp like swords.
"So how will you help me carry them?"
The king asked in a soft voice.
"By helping his royal highness, the crown prince, to take the throne, of course."
"After all, by doing so instead of only killing a few lords for corruption or chasing them away from the royal court, we can destroy their very foundation and take away the land and titles that give them and their families power."
"Only a charge of treason will be able to convince the world and make the stripping of dukes and marquises of their titles legitimate in the eyes of the world while a charge of corruption will not effect the noble families foundation in the slightest as their family will still have the power of a ducal house just with a new grudge to settle with the royal family."
"We will use the same reasons as the Chavarians used to eliminate House Aurellion; the only difference is that while he and my house were innocent of our supposed crimes, these nobles will be guilty as charged with irrefutable evidence."
"As long as they help Prince Rahlan to rebel and try to take the throne, we will have just cause to strip them of all lands, titles and power and raise new lords, new noble houses more loyal and indebted to the crown."
"And if Your Majesty makes enough preparations and chooses the right people, more moral than their predecessors."
Railius said with conviction because if he wanted to gain power in the game and restore his noble house to the glory of its past, then he must first contribute and help the royal house to achieve its objectives.
"And I assume you will be one of these 'new lords.'"
The king said sarcastically.
"Only if Your Majesty deems me worthy and wishes to reward me for my meagre contributions."
Railius replied humbly.
The king snorted at the eccentric lord's response, who was able to advance and retreat when needed, only showing his talent when needed and hiding it behind his lazy and arrogant demeanour.
Oh, Luther did not doubt that Lord Aurellion was slothful, lazy and slightly arrogant, but he was also sharp with a mind that few could match.
Luther had only seen his eldest son, Kodjis, show such promise at such a young age.
If the two could work together and support each other, they could create a new golden age.
"I have one last question."
The king said, having already decided to keep Railius alive as he would not be a threat to the royal family in the short term, as for the future, well, that would be up for his descendants to decide.
"Where is Leon and your 8000-strong elite mercenary group going?"
Hearing this, Railius just smiled.
Of course, the Nathian king would want to know about this and would have noticed his house's strange movements.
"To deliver you my first gift and contribution to the Kingdom of Nathia."
"Look forward to it as I can guarantee you will like it."
"Maybe even enough to give me one of those 5 landed titles that you took from those who tried to kill me and still haven't yet given to others."
Railius said, turning away and leaving, as both men had gotten what they wanted from this audience.
King Luther watched the young lord go with a sigh.
"Look at that young man, act like an old fox."
The ageing king scoffed, shaking his head slightly in amusement like he was watching a particularly amusing children's game, going back to his gardening, but now his movements were robotic as the king's mind was elsewhere now, and it was only when Railius had left the gardens that he called out in a voice that was only slightly quieter than the soft music that had been playing for the past few hours.
"Isn't that right, Winston?"
The king said, turning towards a corner where the hedge, larger than a man, turned into a corner.
Tap, Tap, Tap.
A wooden cane tapped rhythmically against the smooth stone garden path, revealing the slightly hunched-over figure of Winston Lanwood, the Marquis of Vantarnor and Prime Minister of Nathia, slowly ambling towards him.
The old Prime Minister had heard the entire conversation, having been summoned long before Railius arrived in the palace and was one of the few who knew the true extent of Luther's plans.
"It's good to see such talent amongst our youth, he reminds me somewhat of myself at that age."
The Nathian Prime Minister said his words were laced with Nostalgia.
"He does, but you were never so hard to deal with or as dangerous as him."
King Luther said, cracking one of his rare smiles as the two remembered their youth, when they were burning with ambition.
"He will be a good assistant to Kodjis in the future."
Winston said his gaze and mind were as sharp as ever, the same sharpness that allowed him to retain the position of Prime Minister for thirty years.
"You know hidden deep inside him, so deep that even he does not realise it is the ambition to be king."
"Ambition for a throne."
The king said with a sigh before continuing.
"He thinks he can hide it, but his actions speak far louder than his words."
The prime minister chuckled when he heard the king say that.
"Couldn't the same thing be said for Your Majesty? While it seems that you are relatively powerless when you make a move, it is like thunder striking the court, sending shockwaves through the kingdom."
"I still remember the disbelieving looks on everyone's face when General Ranier walked into court, throwing his support behind the crown prince and marrying his daughter to him."
"And to think that to this day they still think he did it of his own accord when everything was engineered by you, hidden in the shadows."
"You truly are The Shadow King of Nathia."
The prime minister finished shaking his head at the foolishness of some ministers in the royal court who cannot see the shadowy hand manipulating everything behind the scenes.
"It's just a shame for him that the Kendari family is not so easy to replace."
The king said as he watched the afternoon sun slowly glide through the sky.