Lorian looked at Grisel while enjoying a piece of fried fish, "So, Grisel, tell me exactly how the capital looks according to your latest news. Is a civil war coming? Who seems like they are going to win? Who has whose support?"
"Yes, my Lord..." Grisel suddenly stopped and glanced at Selena, wondering if he should discuss such sensitive matters in front of her.
Elara noticed the hesitation. She smiled gently, "The Lady is among the very few on this continent who know of your connection to the Lord. Our Lord made sure of that himself. Trust his wisdom. My Lady is someone he trusts with his very life."
Elara's face flushed slightly as she rolled her eyes at Elara's bluntness. Grisel quickly stood and bowed to Selena, "I meant no offense, My Lady. It is just my tradecraft that makes me cautious."
"None taken," Selena replied with a warm, reassuring smile, "Let us get back to our main discussion without wasting any more time. Time is a luxury we simply cannot afford to waste."
"Indeed," Grisel nodded, leaning forward, "A few months ago, this was just a standard succession rivalry between the first prince, Arihan, and the second prince, Eilan. Most placed their bets on Arihan. It was mostly a civil process- no real bloodshed, just both factions trying to strengthen their influence and weaken the other through promises, threats, or blackmail. It stayed within normal bounds without draining the empire's coffers. But when the old Emperor suddenly brought up the third prince as a legitimate contender, everything fell apart. According to my latest reports, the third prince's camp has been heavily targeted, but..."
"But what?" Selena asked, her tension was visible.
"Well, strangely enough, most of the men dying in the third prince's camp aren't major political players. They are just ordinary people who happened to be very close to him. Whoever is carrying out these attacks has made it personal."
"What is the third prince even like?" Lorian asked.
"In the empire, every prince has a moniker," Grisel explained, swirling the wine in his mug, "The first prince is called 'The Vanguard' and 'The Iron Lord.' The second prince is called 'The Paymaster' and 'The Golden Lord.' And guess what they call the third prince? 'The Scribe' or 'The Bookkeeper.'"
Grisel took a dramatic pause, "The third prince was never on anyone's radar. He is timid, has zero ambition, and doesn't want the throne at all. He just wanted to live a quiet life of study and research. The Emperor naming him a contender was a cruel joke forced upon him."
Lorian finished his mug in one go, "Alright, so which faction backs whom?"
"As you can guess, the first prince is backed by the military and the old nobility, led by General Vargon. Exchequer Aurelia leads the merchant guilds and bankers, and they support the second prince," Grisel answered.
"What about the third prince?" Selena asked.
"The king's loyalists, minor nobles, and a few scholars..." Grisel pressed his lips together, "Honestly, he doesn't really have a faction at all. That is what baffles me the most about these vicious attacks on him."
Everyone sat in deep silence as the complexity of the succession struggle sank in.
Grisel broke the quiet, "There is something else. Rumor has it that the third prince isn't entirely normal... some say he isn't even human. They call him a child of the wild."
"You mean elves?" Elara asked.
"No," Serana's face darkened slightly, "Wilders are ancient souls. They are the first sentient beings on this soil, evolved directly from the trees. They are said to be the ancestors of early elves and orcs. They are either completely extinct or hiding deep within the ancient forests."
Selena scanned the faces around the table, realizing they were all listening closely. She felt a brief flash of pride and continued, "Have you ever seen an elf with deer or antelope horns? Only a few of them remain, if any. Some mistake them for beastmen, but they are actually the missing link between wilders and elves. They possess immense supernatural abilities, almost divine. Because of that, people feared them, hunted them, and nearly drove them to extinction."
Grisel's expression froze like stone, his lower lip was trembling with tension. Elara and Kaelen looked equally grim. Selena didn't understand the sudden shift in mood. Lorian caught on instantly and shot Grisel a subtle glance, assuring the old man that he wouldn't reveal Fawnia's true identity to Selena right now. Grisel let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Lorian shifted the focus back to business, "I want detailed updates from the capital as soon as possible- key players, strengths, weaknesses, and motives. And since we are heading to Solara, I need a complete breakdown of Solara as well."
"You have my word, My Lord. I will not let you down," Grisel bowed.
The five of them finished their drinks and stood up. Selena had thoroughly enjoyed the outing, the disguise, and the spicy food. She knew something was being kept from her, but she refused to pester Lorian. If he didn't share everything yet, she figured it was her own fault for not earning his complete trust. Lorian was the only person beside her mother who showed genuine affection and faith on her. Truth to be told, people in Veridia was more open and cordial to her than people in Valoria. That was why, she felt more at home in Veridia than she ever had in Valoria. She pushed her worries aside; right now, they had to deal with a civil war which was going to tear the continent apart.
Later that evening in Veridia, Lorian strolled alone through the quiet palace gardens. He kept turning over the strange rumors about the third prince and Fawnia's true nature in his mind. If Grisel's daughter was truly a Wilder, it explained a lot, but it also put her in extreme danger. He needed to speak with Shaira Nightclaw as soon as possible.
A sharp clearing of a throat broke his train of thought. Lorian turned around to find Alexander G. Zula standing there with a wide, devilish grin.
"Wipe that creepy smile off your face before I carve a real one from ear to ear," Lorian muttered.
"Why so serious?" Alexander faked an expression of wounded innocence.
Lorian strode forward, grabbed the young man by the shoulders, and gave him a hard shake, "Where the hell were you? When I was fighting for my life and my city's survival, where were you?"
"I was hiding to keep my spark from being tracked and snuffed out by the elders," Alexander replied, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"What do you mean?" Lorian asked, genuinely surprised.
"I am like a newborn in the void. I didn't know the rules of this game, and I paid for my ignorance with my divinity," the demon said, dropping his playful façade, "Whether you're a god, a demon, or a someone beyond, everyone plays by the same rules. You gain followers. You build a cult. The cult stays hidden until it grows powerful. But I skipped all of that. I didn't have a cult, and yet I employed a champion right away."
"If you think I'm going to start preaching your religion and building a cult, count me out," Lorian raised his hands defensively.
"Do you think I want that?" the demon frowned, "I don't have the patience or energy like the Sol or Meni to listen to mortals crying about lost goats and missing toys all day."
"Anyway," he continued, "to support you, I ended up spending a significant amount of power..."
"Wait, you said using that divine slot machine wouldn't trigger any alarms!" Lorian protested.
"It wouldn't have, except you kept pulling the lever over and over to grind levels! That massive spike in divine energy sent ripples through the void and caught the attention of older powers. I had to burn a ton of energy just to cover my tracks. Taking a human avatar was the only way to survive and regain my strength. And what better place to land than right next to my favorite guy, my best friend, my buddy, my bro, my man?" he flashed a theatrical smile.
"So basically, you're dead weight, and I have to carry you?" Lorian crossed his arms.
"Hey, don't be like that. Even without my full powers, I'm still wiser than all of you combined," Alexander chuckled, "Actually, maybe I should just launch a coup and take your throne."
"Which hand would you prefer to have chopped off first?" Lorian asked casually, "Right or left?"
There was few seconds of silence. And then they both burst out laughing.
Suddenly, the demon stopped laughing, his expression turning grave, "Some higher powers are starting to pay attention to this continent. I don't know why yet, but trust me, you aren't just dealing with ordinary mortals anymore. And I hate to admit it, but in my current state, I might not be of much help."
"Don't worry about it, buddy," Lorian pulled him into a quick, solid hug, "I am just glad you are here safe and sound. You are the only one who sees me for who I really am. Whatever comes our way, we will face it together."