...??? PoV...

I huff after the communication spell cancels, this campaign is going rather well considering the circumstances. This rebellious Empire is strong, no doubt about that. But we are better than them. Who cares about their newfangled beam weapons and durable shields?

Our Family's array of ancestral Strategic Spells have never failed us before, and I know that they will bring us victory and glory once again. I can't help but snort at the shortsightedness of this so-called Empire. From what our informants gathered, the Stonecrushers used to be a vassal Family to the local powerhouse, the Wolfheart Family. But the Family of Werewolves weakened after a series of incidents that destroyed their reputation. So, the Stonecrushers used this opportunity to expand their influence and absorb other Families.

This particular course of action isn't unheard of, and it's a common strategy in our own Council. Our GoldenHoof Family similarly rose to power. But our ancestors had the foresight not to upset the natural order of things, so we didn't get any delusions about our strength. We might be a strong faction, but facing an entire Coalition is a recipe for disaster.

But let's stop thinking about the foolishness of this rogue Family, I could go on for hours on why their idiotic rebellion is doomed to fail. Instead, I close my eyes and focus on the current proceedings. We found a minor Imperial base, and we are in the process of attacking them. So far the Imperial defenses are holding, and we took some medium losses, but I suspect that was on purpose.

The current Families assaulting this base are inconsequential vassals. From what my spies gathered the ruler of those Families is intentionally weakening their vassals to make them more dependent on their new master. It's a tried and true tactic to reign in a newly acquired subject and makes sure that they remain loyal. To me, it's a bit of a waste of equipment. But it's needed to ensure the cohesion of the Families and make sure that the balance of power doesn't shift. It wouldn't be funny if a group of vassals successfully rebelled against a prestigious Family; the idea would inevitably spread to our vassals.

A grin creeps on my face as I lean back in my golden throne. I may also have slightly influenced the leadership of that particular Family of BirdFolk with generous bribes. It may cost us a lot now, but if my assumptions are correct, then it will make them grateful to us while weakening them. The long-term benefits are obvious.

Gaining more support during the negotiations that will follow the end of the war is only the tip of the iceberg. Our newly-gained territory will put them at a disadvantage against us, and then it will be time to shift the loyalty of their subjects to us. Of course, I have to maneuver carefully because my opponents are constantly probing for weaknesses and are likely making similar moves.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

This Coalition has the potential to make the GoldenHoof Family rise to even greater heights, and my heartbeat increases by just thinking about our glorious future. Maintaining such a complex web of alliances, secret pacts and vassals is tiresome. It also requires a lot of finesse to make sure that nobody under our authority decides to shift their loyalty to someone else. But it's worth it, and while putting the entire Council under our thumb is only a silly pipe dream, this war can undoubtedly benefit us.

However, I wonder if I should worry about the other rebellious groups in the area. A large-scale rebellion like the Stonecrusher Empire is bound to inspire copycats. So far, we only know of a few. A couple of small-time warlords roaming around are of no consequences, and the Empire is already taking care of them.

But there are clear outliers. This first one of note is 'Prometheus.' His broadcast caused quite a stir since it blatantly disrespected us. Some Families in the Coalition were outraged, but I knew that there was no point in getting angry. It isn't the first time that some young upstart who learned a few magic tricks thinks that he's better than anyone else. Usually, reality smacks him in the face and calms him down. In this case, a well-placed spell will end his posturing, although I sincerely doubt that we'll have to worry about him.

From what my Family gathered, this 'Prometheus' might be someone of importance in his local area. But he isn't holding any territory and hasn't done anything of note since then as far as we know. His declaration of war indeed looked impressive, but it seems too good to be true. First of all, why would the Empire even allow such a message to be broadcast in the first place? It would severely undermine Imperial authority and damage their reputation. No, I think that this was staged. Illusions are not that rare; I'll admit that using them that way is quite clever, but it's nothing that hasn't been done before.

This video might have fooled the local hicks and sensationalist media, but not this Patriarch.

I'm confident that this is a bluff; mainly because this Prometheus is likely a human of some description. Humans who know about the Hidden World are rare, and those who are proficient in magic are even rarer. So for him to amass an army of magic-wielding humans is beyond ridiculous. Not to mention that Humans are not familiar with magic, and they would not believe anyone who claims that he's fighting magical creatures hiding in the shadows.

I shouldn't worry about a delusional human who learned a few petty tricks. These kind of people are not usually tolerated and will make a fatal mistake sooner or later. Instead, I should focus on a more tangible threat, the Freedom Movement. The information we gathered says that this particular group originated from a bunch of disgruntled veterans who were sick of war.

I can't help but raise an eyebrow at their motivations. How is a Family supposed to earn prestige and reputation if it isn't through conflict with their peers? Are the youth of the Southern Arcane Council not eager to prove their worth and make a name for themselves? I've never heard of such a thing, the leaders of this Freedom Movement must be paper pushers who manipulated idealistic rookies to do their bidding. Just reading about how one of the leaders of this movement is the son of the now-defunct Wolfheart Matriarch is enough to make my blood boil.

What kind of person would willingly kill their mother? He must be an absolute monster, someone devoured by ambition and utterly incapable of long-term thinking. The Empire already controls a large chunk of Wolfheart territory will the Freedom Movement doesn't even hold a third of what used to be a sizable territory. Their days are numbered, and if it comes to it, then our glorious Coalition will crush them in an instant!

But I shouldn't get too excited. I still need to come up with a plan to maximize our gains at the negotiation table once this is over. I will have to call in a few favors. Some elites from opposing Families might have to be sent to the battlefield with purposely wrong intel. Or even into a trap of our creation. We could pin it on the Empire and divert all attention away from us. But this plan would require that we lose a bit of men ourselves to make sure that the idea of a false flag orchestrated by the GoldenHoof doesn't spread.

This plan is perfect since we have a few unruly vassals who are becoming quite a burden. It might be time to weaken them to seize their territory under the pretense of protecting the local population from blatant mismanagement. Nobody would bat an eye!