On the Subnock Plain within the Magical Wilds, the Master of those lands and king of the Corrosion Beasts—Subnock itself—had been slain.
The lesser monsters, riled into a frenzy by Subnock’s emergence from the depths, had also been put down by the Knight Order under the command of Marquis Catreia.
The disturbance had been suppressed—for the time being.
However, the end of one crisis merely heralded the start of another.
"…As I feared, was Rodel the cause of this?"
"…There is little doubt, Your Majesty."
Inside the Royal Palace at the heart of the Aiwood Kingdom’s capital, King David Aiwood clutched his head, slumped over his desk after receiving the grim report.
Deep bitterness and regret were etched onto the face of the man who stood at the pinnacle of the nation.
The Monster Hunting Festival was an annual event held by the Royal Academy. Suddenly, a monster stampede had occurred, and a tide of dangerous beasts had poured out from the depths of the plains.
The toll was heavy.
Of the students and staff in attendance, twenty-three were dead and fifty-eight injured. Others had already withdrawn from the Academy, their spirits broken by the trauma of watching their peers being devoured by monsters before their eyes.
What was supposed to be a celebration meant to cultivate the next generation of talent for the Aiwood Kingdom had instead resulted in the loss of many of those very same people.
One week had passed since the incident.
The report brought by the officials investigating the cause stated that the source of the disaster was the King's third son, Rodel Aiwood.
"We successfully recovered the body of the Court Mage assigned to Prince Rodel. Though the monsters had ravaged him, his brain remained miraculously intact. By probing his memories, we confirmed that Prince Rodel was the one who provoked Subnock. The mastermind behind him appears to be Marquis Eiger."
"I shall also report the findings of the Knight Order. We found evidence of prohibited 'Monster Attraction' magic tools being imported from abroad. While several intermediaries were used to mask the paper trail, the ultimate purchaser is believed to be Marquis Eiger. We have placed his mansion in the capital under surveillance, so we can seize him at any moment."
Reporting to the King were Albert Rosemary, the Court Mage Captain, and Irjas Catreia, the Knight Commander.
Each had conducted investigations through their respective organizations, and both had arrived at the same culprit.
At this stage, there was no room for doubt regarding the involvement of Rodel and Marquis Eiger.
"Those men… what on earth were they trying to accomplish?"
"……"
The King asked in a voice tight with agony, but only a heavy silence filled the room in response.
They were in a conference room deep within the palace—a place where only a select few were permitted. Six men were present: the King; his sons, Crown Prince Richard and Second Prince Andrew; Albert and Irjas; and the Prime Minister, Verios Crocus.
The expressions of those seated around the table were somber, as if they were in the middle of a funeral.
"…Father, may I speak?"
"Andrew. Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Andrew, the Second Prince and the Academy's Student Council President, stood up.
"Trying to fathom the inner workings of my foolish brother’s mind is a waste of time. The logic of a fool is beyond the grasp of a sane man."
"……"
"However, Marquis Eiger still supports Rodel and wishes to see him crowned as the next King. If that is the case, perhaps this plot was merely a means to that end?"
"What is there to gain by letting monsters slaughter students? It would only result in Rodel being held accountable."
"They might not have intended to stop at the students. There is a possibility they were hoping Subnock would march on the capital itself."
"……!"
The Master of the Magical Wilds, Subnock, had approached the capital once before twenty years ago, causing massive chaos.
The same tragedy had nearly repeated itself.
Hearing his brother's speculation, Crown Prince Richard let out a low hum.
"…So, they intended to use Subnock’s attack on the capital to weaken the Royalist Faction?"
There were several political factions within the Aiwood Kingdom, but the dominant one was the Royalist Faction. They supported the King and aimed to see Richard ascend the throne. This faction prioritized political stability, peaceful foreign relations, and the preservation of the kingdom without unnecessary upheaval.
In contrast, Marquis Eiger belonged to the Reformist Faction—otherwise known as the Queen Dowager Faction.
They did not approve of Richard becoming the next King.
They sought to uphold the legacy of the late Queen Dowager—a woman who had commanded absolute devotion as the realm's ruler—by installing her favorite, Rodel, on the throne.
Andrew believed they had plotted to overthrow the Royalist Faction by exposing the capital to a monster attack.
"They might have even been preparing to strike the palace the moment the city fell into chaos. They likely had a hidden force lurking within the capital, waiting for a chance to target you and my brother, Father."
"…Indeed. If Subnock had reached the walls, the palace guard would have been spread thin," Richard added with a grimace.
It made sense. It was a reckless plan, but it followed a certain logic. Yet, it was an abhorrent thought to consider.
"To think they would risk the destruction of the capital—even the ruin of the kingdom itself—just to seat Rodel on the throne…"
As nobles, they were supposed to put the country first. Sacrificing the nation for the sake of ambition was a complete subversion of their duty. It was incomprehensible.
"…Marquis Eiger was once a decent man," Prime Minister Verios muttered, his voice heavy with grief. "His house stood alongside the Marquis Rosemary House as a pillar of magic. He fought to depose the tyrant King and worked tirelessly to suppress rebels and foreign threats during the transition. He was, without question, one of the heroes who sustained this nation."
"…Anyone who became entangled with Her Majesty the Queen Dowager eventually lost their way. Just like so many of our parents' generation," Albert said, scowling. Irjas, beside him, nodded in agreement.
The Queen Dowager had possessed an almost supernatural ability to manipulate the hearts of men, and many had been ruined by her influence. Yet, she could not be categorized as purely "evil." She had been the primary force behind removing the tyrant and establishing the current peace.
"It occurs to me yet again… I am a truly incompetent king," David said, his voice laced with self-deprecation. "I could not guide my son, I allowed my vassal to run wild, and I failed to prevent this tragedy. Looking back, my father may have been a tyrant, but as a king, he might have been far more capable than I."
The former King had been a wicked and selfish man, but until he was outmaneuvered by the Queen Dowager, he had never allowed the slightest seed of rebellion to take root. Whatever his flaws as a human being, his skill as a ruler had likely surpassed the current King's.
"I do not believe Your Majesty is at fault," the Prime Minister countered. "Maintaining a balance while facing internal strife and external threats is undeniably your achievement. Under the current system, there was little more that could be done."
"…I appreciate the sentiment, Verios."
The King let out a sigh as deep as the ocean floor.
After the tyrant was removed, the centralization of power collapsed, and the authority once held by the Crown was dispersed among the nobility. While this prevented a new tyrant from rising, it also meant the King could no longer punish a clear traitor with a single decree.
If not for the support of the influential men in this room, the administration would have collapsed, and the response to Marquis Eiger would have been even slower.
There was little he could do. Nevertheless, he had to keep applying whatever remedies he could to preserve the peace.
"…Bring Marquis Eiger to the palace. With this much evidence, we need not hesitate. If he resists, take him by force."
"At once!"
Irjas gave a respectful nod and moved to mobilize the Knight Order.
However, when they arrived at the Eiger mansion in the capital, they found only his family. The Marquis himself had already vanished.
A few days later, Marquis Eiger, whose territories lay in the southern reaches of the kingdom, raised his banners. Using the Third Prince, Rodel, as his figurehead, he officially declared war on the Crown.