Undercurrents

As time passed, massive commotions erupted throughout the capital city every few days. The explanations Euphemia received were always the same: either cultists had been discovered, or the thief had been spotted and engaged in battle. However, there was no need to state what was actually happening.

On the fifteenth day of the city lockdown, inside a luxurious aristocratic mansion, Trig Hurst was standing by the window with his hands behind his back. Gazing quietly outside, he said, “So obstinate. I truly do not understand what makes that foolish King worthy of your loyalty.”

The Kingdom of Tarapaca had three Grand Dukes in total. Euphemia's Holmes family was one, and the place where Trig was currently standing was the mansion of another.

Duke Burns was currently being pinned to the floor by his shoulders by two men. With a twisted expression, he spat out, “Damn you! You mad dog! His Majesty trusted you so much, personally promoting you to your current position where you are second only to one and above tens of thousands. Yet you actually want to betray him?!”

“Our Burns family has served the royal family for generations! My ancestors followed the footsteps of the late kings, helping them establish this very Kingdom of Tarapaca! While my ancestors and the late kings were striving and fighting, your ancestors were probably begging for food in some dusty corner!”

“And now, you think a few words from you can make me betray my ancestors and the late kings? You want to steal the royal family's centuries-old foundation? Go eat shit!”

Trig's expression did not change much in the face of the Grand Duke's abuse. “You are right. The late kings indeed deserve a lot of credit for this nation's current achievements.”

“But the era of the late kings has passed. Right now, our neighbors are growing stronger by the second. Steam trains, steamships, and various artillery weapons... If we do not follow the footsteps of the era and instead stand still, or even regress, we will inevitably meet our doom in the near future!”

“I admit that my current position is the result of His Majesty's promotion. However, he is too stubborn, and far too weak. If not for the unexpected turn of events during the Pentagram Alliance incident that slowed their advance, we would have lost a massive stretch of territory. And that was only the beginning.”

“I love this country deeply and am willing to do anything for her. Thus, I cannot bear to watch her be devoured and annexed by other nations. Duke Burns, you have two choices now. First, preserve the lives of everyone in your family by doing absolutely nothing in the events to come. Second... I actually do not wish for your family to be branded as cultist conspirators.”

Duke Burns fell silent for a moment upon hearing this. Then, to Trig's surprise, he actually asked, “If you succeed in taking the throne, what will happen to us, the nobility of the old era?”

Hearing this, Trig suddenly smiled. “You will continue to sit where you belong and enjoy the power you deserve. I will not do anything to you.”

“However, Duke Burns, the very fact that you are asking this question shows that you are not as loyal to your ancestors and the royal family as you think. You are simply... loyal to the power currently in your hands.”

Duke Burns did not address this point. Instead, he said, “I promise not to interfere in the events to come. But as a condition, you must sign a contract with me to guarantee that the Burns family's status remains unchanged!”

Trig said, “Of course.”

Contracts were the manifestation of an Arbiter's ability in the Law Pathway. This class advancement was highly bound to terms like “fairness,” “justice,” and “maintenance.” Normally, once a contract was signed, it could absolutely not be violated.

Duke Burns was an Arbiter himself. He quickly drafted a contract, and Trig signed it without hesitation, though... in his heart, he had absolutely no intention of keeping it.

His goal in seizing this nation was to make it stronger. When the time came, these ancient, decaying nobles would be nothing but parasites on the country, the greatest obstacles on the path of reform. If these nobles were willing to surrender their power and comply with the nation's development when the time came, Trig naturally wouldn't do anything to them, but the likelihood of that happening was far too low.

But this was a critical moment. He would agree to this guy first, and once he was truly in power, he could deal with them however he pleased.

As for the contract? That brought up another class advancement of the Law Pathway: Punisher. This class advancement was highly associated with words like “distortion” and “change.” As long as Trig's rank far exceeded that of Duke Burns, who had drafted the contract, he could distort the contract's content and change the outcome of the ability, thereby bypassing the contract's restrictions.

After successfully “persuading” Duke Burns, Trig left the place with his men. Along the way, he couldn't help but glance at the subordinate beside him, who was the very squad captain who had gone to the Holmes mansion to speak with Euphemia's father a few days ago.

Before Trig could speak, the squad captain said, “Currently, out of the thirty-two noble families in the city, twenty have declared neutrality, eight have sided with you, and the remaining four have been completely eliminated. My Lord, when do we begin our operation?”

Trig, however, said, “No rush. There is still one more thing to finish.”

Seizing the throne naturally couldn't be accomplished just by killing the King. He had to wipe out every single member of the royal family. Otherwise, letting even one escape would leave behind a massive hidden danger.

Although all the nobles in the capital seemed to have taken sides, there were bound to be many blindly loyal nobles in other parts of the country. Furthermore, if any escaping member of the royal family managed to gain momentum, the twenty nobles currently declaring neutrality could turn their backs at any moment.

What was more, if other nations caught wind of this, they would very likely support that royal family member. After all, if the Kingdom of Tarapaca descended into the mire of a civil war, it would be a blessing for all the surrounding countries.

Therefore, if he was going to do this, he had to go all the way, eliminating all potential future threats with thunderous force.

Right now, the King had three children: two princes and a princess. Trig said, “Find them and make preparations. When the formal operation begins, they must all be eliminated simultaneously. Not a single one can be allowed to escape.”