The arrest of Viscount Harlowe did not shake the empire.
It rippled.
Like a stone dropped into still water.
Small nobles panicked first.
They checked their ledgers.
Burned documents.
Rewrote numbers.
Mid-tier counts began visiting the capital "coincidentally."
Dukes?
They waited.
In the palace, Arthur stood before a massive wall map of the empire.
Pins marked taxation districts.
Red threads connected recently adjusted levies.
Seraphina stood beside him.
Darius leaned against a pillar, arms crossed.
Arthur traced one red thread slowly.
"Harlowe was not intelligent enough to construct this alone."
Seraphina nodded.
"Agreed."
Darius frowned. "Then who?"
Arthur didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he shifted to another region.
Northern trade route.
A count under Duke Valmont.
Similar pattern.
Gradual tax increase.
Security justification.
Minimal incident reports.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It's structured."
Seraphina folded her arms.
"Meaning?"
"Someone provided a template."
Silence.
That was more dangerous than greed.
Greed was chaotic.
Templates were intentional.
Darius straightened.
"You think this links to the Veil of Ashes?"
Arthur's gaze remained on the map.
"No."
That surprised both siblings.
"This is older."
He turned.
"The Veil exploited instability. They did not create it."
Seraphina's eyes sharpened.
"Then we have two separate forces."
"Yes."
One external.
One internal.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
"Summon Count Roderic of Eastfall."
Darius blinked. "Publicly?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
Seraphina tilted her head slightly.
"You're changing approach."
Arthur's lips curved faintly.
"Visibility is useful. But repetition breeds predictability."
This time—
He would not hold court.
—
Three days later.
Count Roderic arrived at the capital under sealed summons.
Unlike Harlowe, Roderic was sharp.
Mid-forties. Lean. Carefully groomed beard. Eyes constantly calculating.
He entered a private chamber within the palace.
No audience.
No nobles.
Only Arthur.
And two silent guards.
Roderic bowed.
"Your Highness."
Arthur remained seated.
"Count."
Silence stretched.
Roderic did not tremble.
Good.
Arthur preferred opponents with spine.
"You adjusted taxation in Eastfall," Arthur said calmly.
"Yes."
"For security reinforcement."
"Yes."
Arthur leaned slightly forward.
"List the threats."
Roderic did not hesitate.
"Bandit resurgence in the forested border. Increased mana beast sightings. Merchant caravan theft."
Smooth.
Prepared.
Arthur's golden eyes observed him carefully.
"Submit incident reports."
Roderic gestured subtly.
A servant stepped forward with scrolls.
Arthur opened them.
Read.
Thoroughly.
Detailed records.
Witness accounts.
Guard testimonies.
On the surface—
Perfect.
Arthur closed the final scroll slowly.
"Impressive."
Roderic's posture remained steady.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Arthur stood.
Walked toward the window.
Sunlight spilled across polished marble.
"Tell me," Arthur said casually, "who advised you?"
Roderic's breathing paused.
For half a second.
Barely noticeable.
But Arthur saw it.
"No one, Your Highness."
Arthur turned slowly.
"You used identical financial reallocation structures to Viscount Harlowe."
Silence.
Roderic recovered smoothly.
"Coincidence."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"There is no such thing."
The air grew heavy.
Roderic finally allowed a sliver of steel into his voice.
"With respect, Your Highness… are we to assume guilt by mathematical similarity?"
Arthur chuckled softly.
Not mocking.
Interested.
"You are bold."
Roderic met his gaze directly.
"I am loyal."
Arthur studied him carefully.
The man was not panicking.
Which meant one of two things.
Either he was innocent.
Or he was protected.
Arthur stepped closer.
Close enough that even without flaring mana, pressure filled the space.
"You will open your estate to imperial auditors."
A pause.
"Immediately."
Roderic hesitated—
Then bowed.
"As you command."
But Arthur caught it.
Not fear.
Calculation.
When Roderic left the chamber, Darius entered instantly.
"Well?"
Arthur's expression was unreadable.
"He's not stupid."
Seraphina followed behind.
"Will he flee?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
"If he were minor, perhaps. But someone above him would not allow it."
Seraphina's eyes darkened.
"You think he reports upward."
"Yes."
"Then why not arrest him now?"
Arthur's golden eyes gleamed faintly.
"Because I want to see who panics."
Silence.
Darius grinned slightly.
"You're baiting."
Arthur nodded once.
"If I cut branches too quickly, the roots retreat."
Seraphina watched him carefully.
"You intend to let the message travel."
"Yes."
Roderic would report tonight.
Someone above him would react.
Arthur would watch.
—
Elsewhere.
Deep beneath the capital.
A chamber lit only by faint purple mana crystals.
Roderic knelt before a tall figure cloaked in deep crimson.
"I was questioned."
The cloaked figure's voice was smooth.
"And?"
"He suspects pattern alignment."
Silence.
The cloaked figure tapped a gloved finger against stone.
"He is more analytical than before."
Roderic lowered his head slightly.
"Yes."
A second voice emerged from the darkness.
"The detonation should have destabilized his core further."
The cloaked figure replied calmly.
"It did."
Pause.
"But something else stabilized him."
The room fell silent.
The crimson figure turned slightly.
"Accelerate phase two."
Roderic hesitated.
"That risks exposure."
"Exposure is inevitable."
A soft chuckle echoed.
"The question is timing."
—
Back in the palace.
Arthur stood alone in the training courtyard at night.
No spectators.
No siblings.
Moonlight reflected off stone.
He extended his hand.
Mana gathered.
This time—
He pushed harder.
Golden energy surged outward.
For a moment—
Pain lanced through his chest.
Sharp.
Sudden.
He staggered slightly.
The crack in his mana core flared violently.
Arthur clenched his jaw.
So.
There were limits.
He steadied his breathing.
Slow circulation.
Layered reinforcement.
He forced the mana to compress instead of expand.
The pain subsided.
But faint.
Persistent.
He exhaled.
"They did more than injure me."
This was not just detonation backlash.
There was interference.
Something inside the mana flow had been disrupted intentionally.
He looked at his palm.
Golden light flickered.
Still overwhelming.
Still terrifying.
But not flawless.
And someone out there believed that imperfection was exploitable.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Good."
Because flawless opponents were boring.
—
In the capital's southern district—
Posters appeared overnight.
Anonymous.
Subtle.
Not anti-Crown.
Anti-reform.
"Sudden audits disrupt stability."
"Fear-based governance harms prosperity."
Interesting.
Arthur held one in his hand the next morning.
Seraphina watched him carefully.
"Public sentiment manipulation."
Arthur nodded.
"They're testing the commoners too."
Darius frowned.
"Should we remove them?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
He handed the poster back.
"Let them speak."
Seraphina studied him.
"Why?"
Arthur's eyes gleamed slightly.
"Because if they escalate… they reveal themselves."
The empire was shifting.
Not violently.
Not yet.
But under the surface—
Threads tightened.
Invisible hands moved.
And Arthur stood at the center.
Not reacting.
Not chasing.
But waiting.
Watching.
Calculating.
The game had begun.