Duke Dewei watched the lords squabble and the faintest of frowns snuck onto his face.

Truly, removing the yoke of Royalty has been a double-edged sword. Every two-bit lord with the faintest notions of grandeur has crawled out of the woodwork. Loose cultivators with only the tiniest of blood sniffing for scraps. Pathetic mongrels. Even if it makes them easier to manipulate for now.

Nearly all the nobles from the Kingdom were present. Fashions clashed as the more well-to-do nobles sported traditional clothes of their region. The northerners donned thick garments despite the heat of the south and the eastern nobles who lived in the plains wore their lighter garb. Among them all, the poorer nobles wore gaudy golden clothes to compensate for their cheap artifacts.

Divide and conquer isn’t even necessary. Less cohesion here than in the entire Central Region. Pathetic but useful for now. I’ll fix it eventually, maybe take a few notes from the empire’s books. All they need is a strong hand at the tiller.

The duke rapped the table and the sound washed over the lords. Silence reigned.

Ah, better.

“It swells my heart to see the best of the Kingdom here rising together in these dark times. Surely the Central region scum never even considered the beast they would rouse by their actions.”

“Their actions?” said the Duke of the North, a middle-stage nascent soul. “Not all the peerage is as certain of the source of the Royal family's demise.”

Fucking Count Nico. Your words reach even here.

“While some of the more emotional and gullible among us might have been fooled, I hope over these past few months that I have presented plenty of evidence of that evil clan's involvement. Even you have reviewed the clues, good duke. It is only because of the need for certainty that I have held back my forces from engaging the Central scum.” said Duke Duwei.

“I have reviewed it, and it is authentic,” said the Duke of the North.

“Then the Onooka’s guilt is clear. That brings me to the real reason I have brought you here tonight. We need someone to lead us against the Central forces. Count Eun,” said the Duke, looking toward a man seated three spots down on his left. “Have you located Prince Caspian?”

The count in question seemed unsure of what to say.

Either you duped the prince to be a puppet or killed him. They both lead to me being in charge in the end. One of them should have been feasible, so why is there hesitation? Sometimes I worry that despite their noble blood some of the peerage is barely better than a loose cultivator.

“Count, we are all waiting.” said the Duke.

“Well, no, my Grace. No survivors have been located.” said the count.

“We shall forever hold them in our hearts,” said the duke. “And now that we have confirmed the status of our beloved royal family, I believe it is time we begin to discuss the obvious.”

Not Ideal but manageable. We missed our earlier timetable to kill the royal family and clean this up nicely. It is worse than a puppet but maybe this news will stop that foolish Count Nico’s interference. Half these fools here may even join him if he had someone of actual royal blood with him. Should I have kept one of the female scions alive to marry?

“Excuse me my grace!” said the count. “Forgive me if my words were unclear but I meant no survivors had been located. There are some, however, still unaccounted.”

“That is joyous news! Those Onooka swine made a mistake?” said the Duke and sent nonverbally ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MISSED SOME YOU IDIOT? YOUR FAMILY HAD ONE JOB. WHO IS MISSING? YOU ASSURED ME THAT YOU HAD EYES ON THEM ALL.’

“We don’t know if they escaped the assassin's clutches, but Prince Caspian and Princess Cassandra were among those not found among the dead,” said the count and sent back ‘We thought we had control of the messages the prince was receiving but he must have been informed somehow. Our forces were stretched thin cleaning up all the loose ends. Your Grace, there were so many royal bastards to exterminate. You know as well as I that the worthless king spent more time in the harem than cultivating.’

That’s why we gave you so many core cultivators to help. I had assumed some goddamn competency, or I wouldn’t have rushed this meeting. Caspin was the most important one!

“Truly, the heavens have given hope to the Kingdom in these dark times,” said Duke Dewei.

I have to think. I don’t even dare declare myself regent now.

The incessant barrage of silent messages from his co-conspirators or the whispers of hope from others grated at his ears.

Fools one and all. Count Nico may be a loyal idiot but at least he is competent. Why did the old king deserve someone like him?

“Do we have any leads on where they may be?” Said the Duke, sweeping out his hand to encompass the rest of the nobles seated at their little meeting. Then sent ‘How did they escape? We need to clean this up as fast as possible. What does the prince know? Why are you only telling us this now?’

“None my Grace. We are searching as hard as we can.” Said the count and sent ‘We nearly had everyone, but the prince had more defensive items than we thought and three times the normal number of hidden guards. I don’t think he could recognize us but three of the loose core cultivators I hired are dead. It’s possible if he surfaces, he’ll even be fooled into thinking we were Onooka assassins.’

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

‘He is an unfortunately clever boy. He might suspect. And the princess?’ sent the duke. ‘If we have her, I may have a way to turn this around.’

‘She was never with the other royal scions and has been missing for months. No one we integrated knew more.’ sent the count.

Duke Dewei leaned back and let the nobles go at it. Absently he sent a string of messages assuring his conspirators. They in turn did their job of assuring the nobles at large that the discovery didn’t change anything. The war must go on.

And what would it change anyway? The royal scions won’t even know it wasn’t the Onooka who assassinated the royal family. So even if they are discovered by some noble who supports them, nothing will change. Unless it's count Nico… how did he know? We are lucky that most think it is just his family's classic paranoia.

“Should we not send out all our forces to search for the prince and princess?” said a count.

“I am afraid we can’t do that.” Said Duke Dewei, raising a hand at the instant protest. “I know how our hearts all bleed, but we can’t forget the enemy at our door. I know not all of our lands have borders in the south but we can’t be complacent. What happened to the royal family could happen to all of us.”

“We can’t just not look for them, my grace.” Said another noble. “What if they are injured or Onooka agents are still pursuing them.”

“It is unfortunate to say but it has been long enough that they are either safe or not at this point. They are likely still in hiding and smoking them out with low-level cultivators may just reveal them to our enemies as much as to us. No, a small team of high-level cultivators is the way to do this and I believe Count Eun and a few people from my retinue should be sufficient.”

The complaints died down though many still seemed fearful.

“Now, Baron …., What have you found out about our southern neighbors?”

Pity, but patience is a virtue. Thought the Duke. I will be king. It will just take time.

Emperor Liu Heng the Eternal. Emperor Liu Heng the Just. Emperor Liu Heng the Prosperous.

Emperor Liu Heng the dog.

That’s what they say. That’s what they call me.

He shifted on the dragon throne ever so slightly. The self-control over hours wasted by one motion and hundreds of officials looked his way.

They would see an imposing man of classic imperial features who sat at home on the dragon throne. The thousands of arrays pulsing into his seat resonated with the thrum of the empire. The very image of what an empire citizen would see in their mind's eye when they hear the word ‘Emperor’!

So many eyes.

A few seemed to find what they were looking for in him. Their manner, loyal. They watched him expectantly.

Bah! Few true loyal sons of the empire among them. Cowardly sycophants. Better than the indifferent ones, barely giving the proper respect. Greedy and power hungry.

As the room’s attention focused completely on the emperor, the most decorated official paused in his report. He was the prime minister.

He had talked of the harvest up north and the flooding in the south. Then had poured over the results of the tax cuts for the spice merchants and the strain in relation with the troublesome island to the west.

Now he watched the emperor expectantly.

For all my authority, I am still a core cultivator and he is a Nascent soul. For all my wealth I am still stuck at the bottleneck. It doesn’t matter that I am young. It doesn’t matter that I am talented.

Power later is not power now, and there is a war to win. Always a war to win…

“Does the emperor wish to change the allocation of funds to the forges?” said the Prime minister, after the quiet had lingered a long time. “Please enlighten this lowly official with your eternal wisdom.”

Of course, there is nothing to add. There was nothing wrong with what you said. It always ends up as my mistake and the prime minister fixes them. Always, always, always!

“No, I am happy with the handling of the affair. Continue with the funding number. I just want a detailed review of the output. Considering the war effort, the empire requires a better output.”

Are you trying to limit the production of weapons or is this your best effort?

“Of course Emperor.” said the Prime minister and then continued to review the numbers again.

It was all very reasonable. All within expectations.

“Announcing the return of the Grand Inquisitor.” interrupted the Master of Ceremonies.

He is already back Did he come straight here for me not to get a forewarning?

The most powerful cultivator of the empire strode in as humble as the lowest official. He performed the rites even more precisely than the prime minister and finished in a standing position next to the prime minister facing the throne.

“High Inquisitor Zactus has returned and bends himself to the eternal glory of the Emperor!”

He is loyal, strong, and follows all the rules… but those eyes. You are the opposite of the prime minister and that is why I can’t truly trust you.

“The Emperor acknowledges your return and accepts your service as ever,” said Liu Heng. “We have heard of your success on the front and wish to hear of it in great detail. Still, that can wait, the prime minister was about to tell me about the allocation of weaponry for the war.”

The two finally acknowledged one another and many of the officials in the room wilted. The emperor quietly double-checked the protective arrays of the throne even as the two controlled themselves. Fluid elegance vs rigid order.

I may be a dog but even a baby dragon can come out victorious when two tigers fight.

—---

Grunk eyed the inquisitor tasked with teaching him. Shifting impatiently as the old man droned on and on about various rules and regulations. A disgruntled squeak from the rabbit tucked into his arms made him pause and he shifted again to give the small creature a more comfortable position, in which it quickly went back to sleep.

Why did Master Zactus drop me off here with a list of rules about how to take care of this rabbit?

The old man paid no attention to his movements nor the rabbit’s noise for that matter. He simply droned on and on about the various exceptions about crossing a road meant for produce versus roads meant for strictly government ceremonies.

Grunk absently paid attention to it with his augmented mind and lifted the now sleeping rabbit in front of his face. The fat white being almost seemed liquid as it slumped in his hands. It’s quiet exhales of sleep barely audible.

All it ever does is sleep and eat, preferably in my arms. The wails of distress it made when I set it down. What is this supposed to teach about the law?

Eventually, he tucked the creature back into his arms and amused himself absently watching the way the elderly inquisitor's bush of a mustache quivered with his every word. His entire chaotic appearance was in stark contrast to the precision with which he detailed the law in every nuance.

I thought I found beauty in the law. Something to organize this disgusting world and deal with the foul things. Things like those villages.

Yet some can escape it. Those boys… Edward and Felix. Not only did they escape it but something was off about them.

A squeak of protest had him loosening his grip on the rabbit again. This time the rabbit eyed him for a bit longer with a glare before giving a huff. After an awkward pause, he started rocking the rabbit slightly.

Mmm I need to control my anger more. It is so easy to get angry nowadays. I also need to find them again. I need to ask them about something.

He brought up his system and its message was small as always.

[Congratulations! You still have three rolls available on the Gacha System!]

Maybe I need to just use it? What is the worst that could happen?

He activated a roll.