Marvin stood without opening a new file.His voice no longer carried the same rhythm as before—it became slower, deeper, as if each word were being deliberately placed.
He said:
"We now move on… to the interrogations."
A few heads shifted, but no one interrupted him.
"Duke Havner."
He paused briefly, then continued:
"No signature bearing his name.No direct order.No official document."
He raised his gaze slightly and said:
"An invisible presence.Silent logistical support.Caravans passing through his lands without objection,warehouses opened, then closed,roads used… then forgotten."
Then he said with deadly calm:
"He lets things pass… without appearing."
He moved on without pause:
"Duke Montefra."
He said:
"Tax coordination at critical times.Reclassification of mining rights weeks before each crisis.Local military influence redeployed under the pretext of training."
Then he raised his voice slightly:
"Not a subordinate.Nor an executor."
He stopped, then said:
"But a partner in timing."
Silence spread.
Then his voice changed.Not louder… but more dangerous.
"Duke Fitzberg."
He said:
"Hoarding goods before every major crisis.Night caravans moving ahead of official announcements.Meetings held after midnight,names left unrecorded,doors locked from the inside."
Then came the sentence that fell like a stone into the hall:
"Attempted escape…evidence of awareness…not innocence."
Marvin raised his hand, and the map was brought forth.
He spread it before everyone.
Black lines.Names of nobles.Companies.Ports.Mines.Banks.Warehouses.
He said, pointing:
"Each line here represents a crisis.Each route represents a decision.And every decision… ends at one name."
His finger stopped.
"Darius."
He lifted his head and said with unmistakable clarity:
"What we are facing here… is not corruption."
Then he added:
"It is a system… for manufacturing crises."
He paused briefly, then continued:
"Darius was not resolving crises.He was creating them…then standing above them…as a savior."
He raised his gaze directly to the King.
And said:
"And this council…is not judging a man."
Then he concluded in a heavy voice:
"But an entire era…of the kingdom's history."
**The Night Before the Court
The upper hall of the Savina Palace was drenched in the dim glow of torches, their light breaking against the tall stone pillars and leaving vast stretches of heavy shadow behind.The night was not merely late—it was burdened by what had already been decided.
The King of Savina sat at the head of the hall, neither leaning nor moving.To his right stood the First Royal Advisor, sealed scrolls tucked beneath his arm.Before the long table stood the Supreme Commander of the Army, his presence as solid as a military fortification.Along the sides of the hall sat the Minister of International Relations and the Minister of the Treasury, each enclosed in calculated silence.
The King broke the silence:
"Speak."
A man stepped out from the shadow of a side pillar.He bore no insignia and wore a robe that concealed him well.He bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty…according to what has been gathered over the past days,all sixteen families are currently inside the royal capital of Orvalis."
The King's expression did not change.
The man continued:
"Total focus within the walls.The army, the guard, the nobility.The borders are monitored, yes…but without true vigilance."
The King asked with cold calm:
"Can any party move without permission?"
"No, Your Majesty.No army without a royal order.No family forces without their duke's signature.And even if they wished to move, the distance alone would require two days for the news to reach them,and it is impossible to lead an army for two days without prior preparation."
The King made a brief hand gesture.The man vanished as he had appeared.
The Supreme Commander of the Army exhaled slowly and said:
"A kingdom looking inward…forgets its back."
At that moment, the heavy doors of the hall opened.A military messenger entered, bearing the seal of the Kingdom of Cartos.He knelt, presented the sealed scroll, then withdrew in silence.
The First Royal Advisor stepped forward, broke the seal with a steady hand, read, then said:
"The Kingdom of Cartos has agreed."
Heads lifted.
He continued:
"Our provisions will arrive in night convoys.Siege equipment will be sent without markings.The horses will be led through the old passages.
We will send men who fought in the war twenty years ago—they will join as sages and guides.Your northern borders will be guarded from afar by our shadow-moving units.
Our medical teams will move among your wounded disguised in monks' robes.
And the price?A portion of the treasures,and a strip of open land.
We extend the bridge… and you cross."
The Minister of the Treasury said:
"Without flags… and without documents."
"Exactly."
The Supreme Commander inhaled deeply:
"This changes the balance."
He pointed to the map:
"Our forces number two hundred thousand.Orvalis commands nearly two hundred and fifty thousand…but they are children of war.And their swords have not rusted."
Inside him, unspoken, the names surfaced.Vaidor…Drakonis…Phoenixar …the continent's monsters.
He said at last:
"Everyone you can imagine… is in the capital right now."
He looked at the King:
"Your Majesty, if they move—"
The King cut him off coldly:
"They will not all move."
Then he added:
"We are not attacking an entire kingdom…we are attacking a moment."
The Minister of the Treasury stepped forward:
"The funding is ready,but the target?"
The Minister of Relations spoke before the King:
"Kartos will support… from the shadows."
The Supreme Commander said suddenly:
"And why not a double assault?"
The Minister of Relations replied immediately:
"Because breaking the truce would shatter Kartos politically.They will fight with us…but without names."
Silence fell.
The Minister of Relations spoke again:
"We have begun contacting the mercenary guild."
The Supreme Commander raised his head:
"How many companies?"
"Every one that can be bought."
Then he added:
"And we are attempting to recruit the White Knives."
Silence returned.
One of them asked:
"And their leader?"
"The Mercenary King himself."
The Minister of the Treasury began:
"Wouldn't that cost—"
The King said:
"Enough."
The hall went still.
He said, looking at the map:
"Nothing draws the enemy in…like hearing the echo of internal conflictfrom behind the walls."