Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 921: Goals of Two Schemers

CH921 Goals of Two Schemers

***

Alpha looked to Alex, who had stood up straight due to the implication of the question.

“I have no proof, merely suspicions. However, considering you also came to the same conclusion, it would seem my suspicions have merit.

“Or do you disagree, Master?” Alpha asked.

Alex didn’t reply immediately. However, the sombre look on his face betrayed his thoughts.

‘The Nearmarch Confederacy is, at its core, a loose alliance of seven member states or kingdoms. Each of the seven kingdoms likely has its own culture, laws, norms, and, most importantly, sovereignty. Only in international matters does the Confederacy usually come together.

‘It is an alliance of people who essentially hate or fear the other Empires, particularly the Virellian Empire, more than they hate or fear themselves. And at its heart, the one who keeps all of them together—keeps their blades sheathed long enough for them to converse and reach an agreement with one another—is, or rather was… House Frost.’

‘Zora is the remaining sole heir of House Frost. However, though the House’s blood members have been reduced to one, its vassals, retainers, servants, and citizens remain. Hence, marrying Zora means building a connection to this silent power.’

Alex’s eyes flashed.

‘Most likely, in the eyes of the high aristocracy, building a connection to House Frost—or rather, marrying the “sole heir of House Frost”—equals holding the heart of the fragile alliance of the Nearmarch Confederacy.

‘It makes sense that a scion of such an aristocracy would ignore the presence of Merlin Pendragon, the DragonSlayer, and take the risk to woo the sole heir.’

‘From this viewpoint, Alric wasn’t in love with Zora. He merely wanted to possess the sole heir. However, since he couldn’t beat me for her hand, never mind her heart, he chose to remove me and her directly.’

‘If he couldn’t have it, then neither would I.’

A cold chuckle unknowingly escaped his mind as Orion fed him more pieces, which his primary mind used to complete the puzzle.

‘Why did Alric go through the hassle of sabotaging my Interplanar Expedition? Why didn’t he just assassinate me directly? Simple, because I wasn’t his sole target. Zora and I were targets—and most likely Eleanore too.

‘A single strike during our maiden Interplanar Expedition that targets all of us in one swoop, while also leveraging the Empire’s hazing culture to attack without fearing retaliation from Father, Master, or anyone else… It is a brilliant move that I want to stand up and applaud, if the targets weren’t my wives.’

Alex’s ruby-red eyes glowed a subtle crimson before receding.

‘With the sole remaining heir of House Frost gone, the physical remnant of the binding House will be gone with her. Even if the Frost Kingdom—that is, its vassals, retainers, and citizens—tries to use the spirit of the Frost Imperial Family to hold the alliance together, it will be even more fragile than it was before.

‘One surgical push is all it would take to break this fragile alliance, especially if the member states themselves wish for it.’

Alex leaned back against the wall by the window.

‘Come to think of it, I remember the Frost Imperial Clan marrying off its daughters to other families, so part of the way they maintain the kingdoms in the confederate alliance is through marriage. It is difficult to imagine that these members within the other Imperial Families would simply allow the alliance to break, shattering almost a millennium of work by the Frosts.’

‘In the first place, the end of the Frost line itself is suspicious. The bloodline problem can’t be the only reason. It only affects the purest bloodlines, like Zora. And even using Zora as a standard, it is difficult to imagine that the Frosts can’t find ways around it to prevent the fall of their progeny. It only makes sense if they were targeted.’

Alex continued to muse.

‘But if they were targeted, there are only a few powers in the world that have the ability to, and interest in, attacking the Frosts. From what Alpha alluded to, we can remove the Empires. With the way the Frosts position their members in the other kingdoms through marriage, I doubt the other kingdoms within the Confederacy are responsible either.

‘That leaves… powerful continental organisations.’

Alex’s eyes flashed.

‘Organisations, huh…’

Alex’s thoughts fired rapidly, taking only a couple of breaths.

The young noble raised his head and looked at Alpha. He nodded.

“Your suspicion is valid,” he said.

Alpha nodded back at him.

Udara frowned. She realised she didn’t have the same information the two of them had, nor did she know how they had come to the same conclusion.

“Why do you suspect that Alric and this unknown organisation plan to break apart the Nearmarch Confederacy?” she inquired.

“House Frost is the link holding the Nearmarch Confederacy together. Targeting Lady Zora was a plan to remove this final link. The most obvious reason to do this is to break the alliance of kingdoms that form the Nearmarch Confederacy,” Alpha revealed.

Udara took a moment to digest the information.

“Alric’s private force… the unknown organisation’s past history of anarchy… So, you are thinking Alric and this suspected organisation plan to carry out an attack that would break up the Nearmarch Confederacy?” she asked.

Surprisingly, Alpha hesitated for a moment before responding.

“That would be the most obvious answer,” she said.

“But I sense that you believe that is not the case.” Udara caught on.

“I believe… Alric and the unknown organisation plan to turn the Nearmarch Confederacy into an Empire, raising one of its current members—or a new entity—to the status of an Imperial House,” Alpha stated.

Udara’s eyes widened for a moment.

“You believe they intend to build an Empire? Why? A moment ago, you said you believed the unknown organisation specialised in creating chaos. What benefit would creating an Empire bring them?” she asked.

“I made it very clear that this is purely speculation on my part, Mistress.” Alpha shrugged.

She tapped on the magic table again, bringing up notes, images, and recordings. Together, they seemed to paint a coherent picture.

“Alric’s private force established themselves in the capital of one of the kingdoms, clearly receiving aid from the kingdom’s aristocracy. And not just any aristocracy, but the royal faction itself—a group of nobles fiercely loyal to the king,” Alpha revealed.

“This alone isn’t proof of anything. Instead, the cause of my suspicion lies on the other side of the Confederacy, where Erman Machholt is exerting his family’s influence. It seems like he is trying to rally the aristocracy of the kingdom opposite Alric’s chosen one.

“Though more veiled than Alric’s, Erman’s movements are relatively clearer, and it seems like he is rallying support for an expansionist cause.

“The Machholt scion started moving almost a step behind Alric. Almost as if he plans to take advantage of Alric’s plan for his own gains. His movements seem to mirror Alric’s intentions. Almost like he is shadowing Alric’s moves, waiting for the perfect time to pounce and reap the fruits of Alric’s efforts.

“Therefore, I concluded that if Erman is moving for an expansionist cause, then it is likely that he has evidence that Alric is doing the same, which prompted him to do so.”

Alpha looked at Udara and said conclusively, “There is little benefit to breaking the Nearmarch Confederacy. It is difficult for either Machholt or Wastelander to take over the land, making the effort not worth it. However, pulling the reins of a new sovereign Empire from the shadows? That’s something any Duchy or Grand Duchy would take the risk for.”

“With enough resources, they might be able to flip the rigid constraints of power-sharing within the Empire and become the Imperial House themselves—thus potentially holding control of two Imperial Houses with a flick of the hand,” Udara said, catching on to Alpha’s line of reasoning.

***