Chapter 5 — Shadows of Power
Morning mist rolled over Windsor's marble gardens, pale and quiet.
From his window, Edward watched the city beyond — chimneys rising, smog curling above the rooftops like whispered promises.
He could almost hear it: the faint hum of engines, the rhythm of looms. The sound of change.
[System Log]
Active Quests: "Shadows of Power" — Survive Church & Noble Investigation
New Objective: Draft Reformation Strategy (Church and Nobility)
Edward exhaled. "So the real war begins."
The knock came just as expected.
Charlotte entered first, expression sharp as a blade. Behind her stood a priest in white and gold robes — eyes cold, voice sweet.
"Your Highness," the priest said smoothly, "I bring greetings from the Church of Mana. We've received… reports of unusual activity in the southern districts. Machinery. Smoke. Strange noises."
Edward smiled faintly. "Ah, yes. My textile initiative. A modernization effort — quite loud, I'm afraid."
The priest's eyes narrowed. "And these machines of yours — they function without mana?"
"Yes," Edward said evenly. "Through heat and pressure. Science."
"Science?" The priest's tone tightened. "Then they are unnatural. Only the Blessed Flame grants power to mankind."
"Does it?" Edward leaned back, calm and unyielding. "Or have we merely forgotten how to create our own flame?"
The priest froze, visibly unsettled. "You tread dangerously close to blasphemy, Your Highness."
"Blasphemy," Edward echoed softly, "is just what the powerful call curiosity when they fear losing control."
Charlotte coughed lightly — a polite reminder. "Perhaps the Church might inspect the project directly, Father. We have nothing to hide."
The priest studied her, then bowed stiffly. "I will… consider it. Good day, Your Highness."
As he left, Charlotte turned to Edward. "You're playing with fire."
He smiled faintly. "Then it's a good thing I'm already building engines."
Later that evening, Edward convened a secret meeting in the palace's old observatory — his true command center.
Charlotte sat across from him, parchment and quills ready.
Annabelle tinkered nearby, fitting a small mechanical bird with new gears.
Edward unfolded a new scroll — one filled not with blueprints, but policy.
"Today we begin Project Reformation."
Charlotte blinked. "Reformation?"
"Yes." Edward's tone was cool, precise. "If the Church and nobility stand against progress, then progress must reshape the Church and nobility themselves."
Annabelle looked up, brow furrowed. "You're talking about… changing how society works?"
"Exactly." Edward began sketching as he spoke.
Phase I — Church Reformation
Establish the Royal Academy of Natural Sciences under Crown patronage.
Promote "Divine Engineering" — framing innovation as understanding God's laws, not replacing them.
Redirect Church funding toward education, literacy, and infrastructure.
Replace faith monopoly with reasoned devotion — knowledge as worship.
Charlotte's eyes widened. "You plan to outthink the Church with its own teachings."
"Correct," Edward said. "We won't fight them with rebellion, but with enlightenment. The people will see steam and science as divine gifts — not heresy."
[System Bonus Activated: Reformation Strategy — "Faith Through Knowledge"]
Public Approval +10% (Commoners)
He continued.
Phase II — Noble Power Reduction
Industrialize production under Crown authority.
Convert noble estates into corporate holdings — profit through efficiency, not inheritance.
Introduce merit-based ranks in the royal bureaucracy.
Encourage commoner entrepreneurship through state-backed workshops.
Annabelle gaped. "That would make half the nobility irrelevant overnight."
"Exactly," Edward said calmly. "If they want power, they'll have to earn it — not inherit it."
Charlotte tapped her pen against the desk. "You're planning a revolution in silk gloves."
Edward smiled faintly. "Revolutions fail when they shout. But reforms whisper — and those whispers change the world."
[System Alert: Major Policy Created]
New System Function Unlocked — "Governance Tree"
Branches: Administration | Religion | Industry | Military
Edward studied the glowing screen before him — invisible to the others — and felt the weight of destiny settle on his shoulders.
This wasn't just invention anymore.
It was reconstruction.
Charlotte glanced up from her notes. "You're declaring war on centuries of tradition, Edward. Do you understand that?"
He looked out the observatory window, where the lights of London flickered like distant stars.
"I understand perfectly," he said softly. "And I intend to win."
Two Days Later…
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Priests whispered of "mechanical heresy."
Nobles muttered that the prince was "infected with madness from the Continent."
But in the southern district, factory whistles sang, and people began earning honest wages for honest work.
[Hidden Effect: Commoner Prosperity +5% | Church Suspicion +15% | Noble Discontent +20%]
Annabelle approached Edward in the workshop that evening, a slight smile on her lips. "The workers are calling it the 'Prince's Miracle.' They say your machines are gifts from heaven."
Edward chuckled. "Then let heaven take the credit — as long as the gears keep turning."
Charlotte entered with a stack of reports. "You have more support than you think. The merchants are quietly funding your expansion. But the Duke of Pembroke and the High Bishop are both calling for an inquiry."
Edward took the reports, eyes calm. "Let them. I've already written their next sermon."
Charlotte blinked. "Their next… sermon?"
He held up the new proclamation, already sealed with the royal crest.
"On the Nature of Creation" — a document declaring that human innovation is a form of divine inspiration, sanctioned by both reason and faith.
Charlotte stared at him. "You're rewriting theology."
Edward smiled faintly. "Only improving it."
[Reformation Policy Drafted: "Doctrine of Divine Innovation"]
Effect Pending Royal Approval.
That night, after everyone had gone, Edward stood alone in the flickering light of the furnace.
The hum of machinery below echoed like a heartbeat.
"Their faith is built on miracles," he murmured. "Ours will be built on knowledge."
He reached out and touched the warm metal surface of the steam engine — his first creation, the symbol of what was coming.
[System Notification]
Quest "Shadows of Power" — Stage 1 Complete.
New Quest: "The Doctrine War" — Prepare for Church and Noble retaliation.
Edward's reflection shimmered in the steel.
A prince.
A scientist.
A reformer.
And soon… an emperor.
End of Chapter 5.