Translator: CinderTL
Marianna spoke with a calm tone, yet her words carried undeniable weight.
"Do you wish to advance the war front? The Arcane Order can grant you access to the heart of the Grassland. Are you concerned about Abal's rise? We understand better than anyone what an awakened orcish power means—Gabella once waged a fierce war against Abal."
The candlelight stretched her shadow long and still, like a crouching predator.
"The choice is yours," the witch concluded. "Will you continue to be manipulated by the Royal Family's schemes, or will you collaborate with those who truly wield power?"
Paul stared at her, momentarily speechless.
His mother now stood before him, adopting the cold, calculating demeanor of a negotiator, proposing that Northwest align itself with the Arcane Order—the wizard organization controlled by Antonio, which had plunged the Aldor Kingdom into chaos and was even implicated in the orcish invasion.
As a high-ranking member of the Arcane Order, she had personally come to persuade him, her tone unwavering, as if her proposal were self-evident.
Countless questions surged through his mind: Was this a performance? A test for Alvey? Or did she truly mean it? But if it was a performance, why choose such a setting and such dangerous words? If Alvey were to believe her and leak this information, Northwest's relationship with the Royal Family would immediately deteriorate.
The air in the study seemed to freeze. Alvey stood frozen in shock, while Marianna remained composed, as if she had merely offered a routine strategic suggestion.
Paul took a deep breath and finally spoke, his voice strained but trying to remain steady: "Mother... Ms. Marianna... the direction you've proposed carries immense implications. I can't respond immediately. I need time to consider it thoroughly."
He paused, then added, "Please return to your quarters and settle in. We'll discuss this in detail tomorrow."
Marianna glanced at him, her gaze carrying a hidden meaning, then nodded slightly. "Very well. We'll talk again once you've made up your mind."
She turned, her robes swishing softly, and silently left the study.
The moment the door closed behind her, Alvey rushed to the door, pressed his ear against the crack, and listened intently for a moment before turning back, his voice urgent and hushed. "Lord Grayman, can you be certain she won't suddenly reappear? A witch of her caliber could materialize without a sound at any moment... If she barges in like that again, I'm afraid my heart might give out."
He glanced around warily. "And that guard at the door... has she already taken control of him? Witches have so many tricks—a mere glance or a whispered word can turn people into puppets. Could our conversation have already been overheard?"
Paul knew perfectly well that he had personally instructed the guards to let Marianna pass without announcement. But he couldn't reveal the truth to Alvey, as it would inevitably lead to more probing questions about his relationship with Marianna.
He nodded, feigning a serious expression. "You're right. We can't afford to be careless with security."
With that, he rose and walked to the door, pulling it open. He addressed the guard outside in a stern voice: "Change of guard. Now. Go rest, and have Sean relieve you."
The guard froze, about to protest, but then caught the lord's wink. He bowed his head in salute and retreated, utterly bewildered.
Paul closed the door and turned to Alvey. "No outsiders will approach from now on."
Alvey let out a sigh of relief and nodded weakly.
"Lord Grayman," he whispered, leaning closer to Paul, "you must not heed her advice."
"Leaving aside whether it would be morally right for you, as the lord of Aldor and commander of its military and political affairs, to openly align yourself with the Arcane Order—a secretive organization of spellcasters operating outside Aldor—and whether the kingdom would consider such an act treasonous, consider this: you are mortal, while the Arcane Order is a sanctuary for spellcasters."
He warned, "In their eyes, mortal rulers are merely pawns, extensions of their will. They provide power, you wage wars, and when your usefulness is exhausted or circumstances change, they will withdraw as if they were never involved."
He offered a bloody example: "Remember Giles? His rebellion was backed by the Arcane Order. They supplied intelligence, magical potions, and even secretly interfered with the Royal Family's actions. But once Giles had weakened Aldor to the point of exhaustion, achieving their goal of undermining royal authority, their support vanished. Without supplies, reinforcements, or even basic communication, Giles fought alone and ultimately perished."
Alvey leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. "This is their method—use, exploit, discard. If you agree to work for them today, tomorrow they will demand you carry out their will—whether it's suppressing dissent internally or launching wars they wish to wage without revealing their hand. Once you refuse, or when you've outlived your usefulness, they'll discard you just as they discarded Giles."
He fixed Paul with a piercing gaze. "The military and political system you've painstakingly built in Northwest Bay will no longer be your own creation. It will become a dagger the Arcane Order plunges into Aldor's heart—a tool to be used and discarded."
Paul studied Alvey, then asked softly, "Mr. Alvey, I'm confused."
"Please explain."
"You once said you left Gabella because you couldn't accept Antonio's alliance with the orcs. Yet from your words now, it seems you harbor reservations about the Arcane Order as well. Given that you once worked closely with them in Gabella, why do you speak of the organization with such disdain now?"
Alvey fell silent for a moment, a weary, bitter smile creeping across his face.
"You're right," he said slowly. "I left Gabella ostensibly because Antonio allied with the orcs, but that was only part of the reason. There was another factor: the Arcane Order's own transformation."
He looked up. "Do you know that the Arcane Order wasn't always as aloof and powerful as it is now? It was born out of persecution—back when Spellcasters were burned as heretics and driven out as monsters. They organized to protect themselves, to fight for the right to freely study magic without being arbitrarily executed. Even if their methods were sometimes extreme, their fundamental demands were just: equality and survival."
His voice deepened. "But when they established themselves in Gabella, when Antonio—a Spellcaster Emperor—ascended the throne, everything changed. They were no longer the oppressed but the oppressors, and power amplified the old wounds in their hearts."
"Centuries of suppression by the mundane world had buried a reactive sense of superiority deep within many Spellcasters. They possessed magical abilities beyond mortal comprehension, making them inherently superior to ordinary humans. This innate superiority, they believed, was the reason for the ignorant mortals' jealousy, and it was this jealousy that fueled the persecution. In the past, this mindset had been suppressed by the constant struggle for survival."
"As the Arcane Order grew in power, this mindset began to 'infect' others," Alvey said, using a peculiar but remarkably accurate word. "Based on my observations, a certain tendency has taken root within the Order—they are no longer content with 'equality' but now believe it's their natural right to rule over ordinary humans. They see it as self-evident that Spellcasters should be superior to mortals, and that the common folk should accept their governance."
"I pessimistically predict that since the Arcane Order has become intertwined with imperial power, their position in Gabella will only become more entrenched. Each success will further embolden this sense of entitlement. Their goal will no longer be 'We deserve equal treatment' but 'We deserve to be superior.'"
Alvey looked directly at Paul. "This is the second reason I left. An organization originally founded to fight for 'equal rights' has lost its way on the path to success, now pursuing 'privilege' instead. The Spellcaster community in Gabella is likely to evolve into a nobility above all other nobles."
(End of the Chapter)
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