A Peaceful Resolution.

"Baron Malwin Thornsworth."

"A formidable foe for anyone who dabbles in politics."

"He knows when to rush forward recklessly yet also when to take a step back."

"It is a rare trait that can prove to be a devastating combo."

"How he dealt with the scheming House Cale is a perfect example of this."

"He knew to strike hard and ruthlessly showing people the terrible price for plotting murder schemes against House Aurellion."

"But he also knew to take a step back and promise never to do anything like that unless provoked again."

"And like this, peace was restored to Nathia for a few more years."

Flintorus Rhalun, Friend to Kodjis Kendari Prime Minister of Nathia, also known as 'The Kings Fox.'

….

Duke Robar left the meeting enraged.

To say that it went poorly would be an understatement.

And what was worse was that he could understand the outcome and even somewhat agreed with the reasons that both the crown prince and the prime minister gave for handling the situation as they did as the only real person who lost out with this outcome, not the crown itself or the crown prince who was positioned to be the next king.

In the end, nothing would be done, and it would be revealed that it was because the Viscount attempted to murder someone with a close connection to a grandmaster that he and his family had died.

In other words, the grandmaster's actions were understandable in the eyes of the nobility, and they could stop having sleepless nights knowing there was no shadow in the night wanting to string them up at their own gatehouse.

If Karsten Kale had not plotted Quinten Amberguards death, then he and his family would still be alive, and his death was only due to his foolish scheme backfiring. As a result, the lesser lords would be appeased, with the only real consequences falling on the head of Prince Rahlan and those who follow him.

The problem is that they couldn't have known Quinten had the backing of a grandmaster.

It was a person who had not been detected by most of the kingdom as they had ensured all the grandmasters loyal to the royal family had stayed put, so this could only have happened if the grandmasters did not know about it as there had been no strange movements by anyone.

This infuriated him more as now the crown prince had a grandmaster under his command who was unrelated to the assassination guilds, of whom they didn't even know the identity of.

Stomping back into this office, the duke's eyes shone with a ruthless glint before this newly rising merchant group was nothing more than a nuisance, an existence that neither he nor the prince cared about much, but now it was different.

They needed to find all they could about this new dangerous foe they had inadvertently made.

Slumping into his chair, the vice minister steadied his shaking, clenched fist, dousing the raging anger threatening to burst out from his heart with calming water, settling his rampaging emotions.

Duke Robar did not sleep that night instead, as he looked over everything he or the kingdom had recorded about Quinten Amberguad, and he found it woefully insufficient.

 The next day, in his ministerial attire, he entered his office in the Ministry of Justice with one mission only.

To find out all there was to know about Quinten Amberguard and the people behind him.

"Reinvestigate!"

"Reinvestigate everything we know about Quinten Amberguard! I even want to know where he took a shit 3 years ago."

Duke Robar shouted coldly as his subordinates quickly obeyed his orders in fear of his wrath.

….

Prime Minister Winston and the crown prince were now alone in Kodjis' solar, having sent Duke Robar away with a decision and news they both knew he would not like.

But it would be a decision that would bring peace to the realm at the cost of the idiot who had brought this trouble crashing down on them in the first place, a fitting punishment in both men's opinions.

It's one thing to scheme and another for it to blow up so destructively in your face without taking any accountability for it.

Prince Rahlan made his bed when he decided to move against Quinten without knowing just how much support the young businessmen had, and now he had to lie in it, thorns and all.

To understand why such a decision was made despite the brutal death of the landed noble, you need to understand grandmasters, especially the status that skilled grandmasters like Leon have old, grizzled veterans with years of experience in war.

Compared to modern terms, they are equivalent to a mobile nuclear bomb that can attack anywhere at will, and that is why fights between these powerhouses rarely happen in the open and instead occur behind the scenes.

If they are skilled enough, a rouge grandmaster can also cause enough chaos to make even the most powerful ruler want to rip their hair out because no matter how many men you had at your command, it was hard to attack someone you didn't even know the location of.

Just look at the current situation.

One angered grandmaster had killed a lesser lord and disappeared before they even heard about it.

So you can only imagine the chaos and fear that would spread throughout the Kingdom of Nathia if he did this one or two more times?

How many nobles would have to die before he could be stopped, and that was if they could even find him in the first place?

Finding a grandmaster who did not want to be found was no easy task as only other grandmasters who are exceptionally talented or master fighters who are skilled at perception can sense their presence.

Why was it that when Russia attacked Ukraine in the early 2020s, the world did not send forces to capture Putin, the then-president of Russia, or rally armies to attack him?

Instead, all they did was send some arms to Ukraine and allow any volunteers who wanted to fight the Russians to do so.

Even that was lessened as the war dragged on, and the outrage and public fervour died down.

It was not just because Russia was hard to conquer due to its unforgiving winters.

For this was the main reason Russia and America avoided outright war, leading to the Cold War period, where spying and espionage were the battle type of choice.

It was because both sides had nukes and could end the world with the push of a button.

While this situation and the one with Leon are not entirely analogous to what happened after World War Two, the Nathian king, prime minister, and crown prince made this decision for similar reasons.

The first was that Prince Rahlan's faction really was at fault for causing this, as he attacked someone with the support of a grandmaster, which you only do if you have a way of dealing with said grandmaster.

House Kale had personally learnt the foolishness of such actions and set the standard of punishment for anyone else foolish enough to try such a thing, noble or not.

The second was that Leon Mantalon going on a rampage in the event they failed to kill him but succeeded in killing Railius would only make things much worse than they already were, and he was no easy enemy to take on.

House Aurellion had escaped from the centre of the Chavarian Empire and its imperial capital with a child lord, and they were perfectly capable of doing so from Nathia with their lord on the other side of the world while fully grown.

There was also a third reason they let Railius off the hook with nothing but a warning.

And that was that both the crown prince and king wanted him to serve Nathia.

As it was not only the crown prince who found out about Railius all those years ago.

The king of Nathia, that so-called incompetent ruler, did too.

And he was most impressed by what he saw.

"Flintorus, you can wake up now. Your act may work on others, but there is no need to keep up your mummery with me."

The old, wise prime minister said tiredly, to the surprise of both men, who were stunned by Winston's insightful, bright amethyst eyes, which looked so similar to the crown prince's purple-gold ones.

Winston was getting old. His once midnight black hair was now greyed by the weight of his years surviving at the peak of Nathian politics and helping the king keep the kingdom united.

But he needed to hold on just a little bit longer.

Because if he falls, all hell will break loose as the kingdom tears itself apart, trying to find someone to replace him.

'I just need to hold on long enough for it to finally succeed.'

The old marquis thought, quickly bringing himself out of his musing as Flintorus Rahlan, a friend of the crown prince, took Robar's seat after the duke left in a rage.

"He will make a fine subject."

Winston said, filling up his teacup again.

"That he will."

"I'm surprised Father approves of saving him. I would have thought he would've gone along with whatever those higher-ranked nobles wanted as he has done so many times in the past."

The crown prince said bitterly, with a sigh, that while the king was a loving father, at times, he was only a decent ruler.

The crown prince often tried to make reforms or punish corruption harshly, only to be stopped every time by the king in the name of stability.

It infuriated him to no end, so he was shocked that the usually passive king decided to finally make a move and take a clear stance on this matter.

The crimes of these corrupt and selfish nobles were not enough to do more than banish them from the royal court back to their lands, which was still a better option than allowing them to stay as it took them away from the centre of power.

Because now, many of these nobles supported his brother Prince Rahlan while he had attracted the righteous nobles who thought more about the kingdom and its people rather than personal gain; however, in court battles, it is the dishonourable that usually come out on top so despite his exalted status the crown prince's faction is actually the weaker of the two as many of his supporters are boarder lords with only those close to the grand dukes coming to his side or choosing neutrality depending on their disposition and individual situation.

His biggest problem was that the rot of corruption in the kingdom had gone deep, so a reformist prince like him sometimes found it hard to find allies among the truly powerful and influential people, as much of that power of influence was rooted in the practices he wanted to end.

 It was almost as if the king wanted these two factions to rise up and fight for power. 

But that couldn't be true as even his father was not incompetent enough to want such a thing to happen; instead, it was most likely born from wanting not to offend these nobles' families.

"Your father is a complicated man, your Royal Highness, but always believe that he will do what he believes is best for the country no matter what your private opinion of him may be."

"Being king is not as simple as you seem to think, and neither is the one who is currently wearing the most coveted Nathian crown."

The prime minister's old, raspy voice said with a knowing smile.

If anyone would know what the king would likely be thinking, then it would be the person before him.

Even his former best friend, who had been removed from the position of prime minister 30 years ago, likely had less knowledge of the king's thoughts and intentions than the cunning fox did.

"But even he knows that Rahlan was in the wrong this time and needs to pay the price."

"Maybe afterwards he won't be such an idiot and start schemes that can backfire on him so spectacularly."

"He also recognises how useful Railius Aurellion can be."

"A great talent, to be sure, if a little odd at times. You are fortunate to have his loyalty, Your Royal Highness."

The old minister said with a smile.

"Don't waste it like the Chavarians did."

Winston continued in a cold tone.

"I am worried about his loyalty."

Flintorus said, joining in the conversation.

"Railius is ambitious, but I don't see him being loyal to death."

The supposed drunk continued.

"Can you blame him after all his house went through?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if House Aurellion would never trust a ruling dynasty again with the fate of their line after the last time they did, only barely being able to escape from extinction."

The prime minister countered.

"But he will be loyal and a great asset for when you come to sit on the throne of the Narth."

Winston finished.

"How can you be so sure of his loyalty?"

Flintorus asked.

"Because he is not stupid, and while our country may have a plethora of problems, it is still arguably the hardest to take from its ruling dynasty."

"And if Railius ever takes a throne or becomes a king, it shall be a rightful and righteous takeover, not a usurpation."

"He will also be a new rising star in the kingdom and need support to gain the power and prestige he wants, inadvertently becoming a weapon for you to wield at will."

"Tell me, what better way is there to gain power other than strengthening the crown's power while also being its chief enforcer?"

The prime minister replied seriously, clarifying that the crown prince should not make the same mistake as the emperor of Chavaria did.

"How did you even know about House Aurellion?"

"They took great care to stay low-key and hidden."

The crown prince said.

"Didn't I tell you before, your Royal Highness…."

Winston said with a chuckle and a wry smile before all emotion drained from his face, his gaze freezing even the man hailed as the genius crown prince, a man already feared throughout the royal court.

"His Majesty knows everything that happens in the capital and everyone's movements, no matter who they are or how well they try to conceal themselves."

"Including every planned scheme concocted in this cesspool of a city, so please don't go too far like your brother or like him…. You will find there is little pity or mercy to be found in the supreme ruler of our great nation, no matter how much of his support you seem to have."

The crown prince and Flintorus gulped as the prime minister rose and left his residence with the implied threat lingering in the room.

….

Laying on his sofa, the soft leather wrapping around him, Malwin let out a relaxed sigh as he was getting massaged.

"Mr Malwin, sir, it seems everything went as you predicted."

A young 14-year-old boy said as he came in and closed the door.

"Good. It's nice to be dealing with intelligent people for a change, is it not, Garisson?"

"They're so much easier to deal with than the dumb, impulsive brutes I usually have to deal with."

The baron said relaxedly he had spent a lot of effort to ensure that he and Leon could vent their anger without suffering any serious repercussions. However, he had to admit that having a grandmaster able to rampage, as well as Leon, is an excellent threat to be used if needed, even if he has just indirectly insulted the man to his son.

"If you say so, sir, though even brutes have their own charm at times."

"But the Nathian Royal Family is not to be underestimated. We should be more careful in our dealings with them in the future because they will not forget this soon."

The young boy replied, chuckling and shaking his head slightly, though his eyes radiated a sharp, well-honed intelligence, and the last part of the sentence was said with no mirth; instead, it was a warning.

"Tell me, Garisson, what would you do if you held power in the Nathian court."

The baron asked, deciding to use this moment to educate his favourite student because Garisson was brighter than his contemporaries and had insight that was comparable to their lords.

Which is not something that was easily found.

"Depends, but considering the current situation Nathia is in right now, I would make a similar move to them."

"House Aurellion has much to offer the crown, and as long as Leon is alive, they have no guarantee in killing our lord even if they set a trap, so I would say they made the best move, which is to calm down the lesser lords, as they have and bring us to the side of the royal family in the meantime.

"After all, every king needs a hunting hound, and House Aurellion is one of the best there is available."

Garisson said, showing that his insight is far beyond what it should be at his tender age of 14, but was surprised that he described House Aurellion as a hunting hound despite it being true.

"No thoughts on joining your brother in the Pelican Guards."

The baron asked the young man.

"I much prefer books over swords, my lord. While Jordis and my father will protect Railius from physical threats, we are the ones who will protect him from those that come from the shadows."

Garisson Mantelon said before his gaze turned cold, with the same iciness as Leons's when he gets angry and serious.

"Let those brutes swing their swords to take lives. I shall do so with the stroke of my pen, for at times, the pen is mightier than the sword."

The young man said with a scheming smile that looked so much like Railius' or Malwin's own as Malwin once again wondered how that muscle-headed Leon could sire such an intelligent son who he had no doubt would have an extraordinary impact on the future.