The palace became a fortress of suspicion and relentless investigation. King Leonidas, despite his reservations about Mark's methods, allowed his son full authority, recognizing the dire nature of the accusations and the existential threat. The memory of Mark's coma, and the undeniable prosperity he had brought, swayed him, though a shadow of concern remained in his eyes.
Lady Anya of the Reynard family, now operating as the Royal Minister of Integration and Development with unprecedented powers, moved with surgical precision. Her network of Beastfolk contacts, often underestimated by the Human and Elven nobility, proved invaluable. These were the eyes and ears in places nobles rarely bothered with – the common markets, the bustling docks, the obscure artisan workshops. She and Ben, working in perfect, unspoken sync, interrogated Lord Corvus's captured accomplices, squeezing every drop of information from them. Anya specialized in psychological pressure, finding cracks in their resolve, while Ben's silent, menacing presence ensured cooperation.
"The forgeries are too perfect," Anya stated to Mark one evening, laying out detailed analysis by Ellaine. "The magic infused within them is subtle, almost untraceable to a specific caster, but its complexity points to a very high-level enchanter, perhaps even one working outside etabsam."
"And the 'informant' Corvus spoke of?" Mark asked, his hand idly tracing the lines on the forged land deed.
"A phantom," Ben grunted. "Corvus was given the documents and a script. He knows no more than that. But our interrogations confirm his direct communication with agents linked to Master Theron's network. And some names, minor nobles who outwardly expressed support for your reforms, keep recurring in the periphery of their activities."
The investigation led them down a twisted path, exposing a deeper layer of treachery. They found that several supposedly "newly aligned" noble families, individuals whom Anya herself had initially championed for their progressive views or charitable contributions during Mark's coma, were in fact, secretly connected to the Black Hand. These were not mere opportunistic scoundrels like Alaric, but cunning, long-game infiltrators planted by The Weaver to sow discord and capture key positions once Mark's influence grew. Their public support had been a masterful deception.
One such family was the House of Vermillion, led by the seemingly amiable and progressive Duke Vermillion, who had donated generously to the rebuilding of etabsam's infrastructure and publicly lauded Mark's innovations. Unlike the direct, bandit-funding treason of Alaric, or Seraphina's violent, retaliatory strikes, the Vermillion's corruption was a far more insidious, financially motivated infiltration. Anya, through her extensive and discreet Beastfolk network, discovered that the Vermillion family's true wealth came from a hidden network of illicit mana crystal mines in the neutral borderlands, a monopoly they wished to protect from Mark's coal-driven economy. They had secretly provided resources and safe houses to the Black Hand for years, acting as key logistical hubs for the organization within etabsam, enabling the flow of their illicit goods and intelligence. This was a battle of economic principles, exposed through careful, behind-the-scenes intelligence gathering rather than direct confrontation. The forged documents, Ellaine later confirmed through meticulous arcane forensic analysis of their unique magical signatures, had been enchanted using rare mana crystals from these very mines, providing the subtle magical fingerprint that Mark had detected and that Anya's network had then traced.
Alfred, meanwhile, utilized his charm and network among the kingdom's more roguish elements, following up on whispers from Tondo and cross-referencing them with Ben's intel. He discovered that Master Theron, the aggressive merchant from Tondo, was not merely an agent of the Black Hand, but a direct lieutenant of The Weaver, a primary regional enforcer of their will. Theron himself was now holed up in a heavily fortified, isolated trading post in the volatile Demon Wastes, a neutral territory where the Black Hand conducted much of its illicit trade beyond the reach of any kingdom's laws. This intelligence was critical; it gave them a specific, powerful target.
The truth was a bitter pill. Mark had unknowingly welcomed traitors into his inner circle. But with Anya's unparalleled political insights, Ben's relentless pursuit of intelligence, and Alfred's cunning network, the full scope of the Black Hand's infiltration was finally being revealed.
Another series of swift, brutal arrests followed. Duke Vermillion and his most trusted advisors were apprehended, their properties seized. The discovery of their hidden mana crystal mines under etabsam's protection, funneling wealth to a shadowy criminal enterprise, infuriated the common folk and solidified their trust in Mark. This time, there was no doubt. The trials were public, the evidence undeniable. The executions were swift, a grim necessity that further solidified Mark's reputation as a Prince who would stop at nothing to secure his kingdom. The cheers of the populace, though mixed with grim satisfaction, were a far cry from the fearful whispers that had followed Corvus's arrest.
King Leonidas, though still pained by the constant bloodshed, could no longer deny the necessity. He had seen the true face of the enemies his son fought, enemies who wore masks of loyalty and used the very foundations of the kingdom against itself. His trust in Mark, though strained, was beginning to rebuild, forged in the fires of shared peril. The purge had been brutal, but etabsam was finally, truly, cleansing itself.