NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Unmasking the Plot
Chapter 21: Unmasking the Plot
News of House Davian's latest victories spread quickly, but Aurelius remained vigilant. Even as markets buzzed with life and guild banners waved side by side with Davian gold, a sense of tension rippled through the streets of Eloria. The failed midnight council had not ended the struggle—it merely forced rivals to find new masks.
In the estate's sun-drenched war room, Aurelius, Calista, and Sir Lucien reviewed new reports:
- Several minor nobles, emboldened by the Council of Seven's secret assembly, had begun to stir up unrest among the city's craftspeople.
- Anonymous leaflets, slick with falsehoods, claimed House Davian's reforms would bankrupt the city and invite foreign conquest.
- Spies whispered that Wesker's family, though weakened, had secured mercenaries from across the border—warriors skilled in both blade and assassination.
Aurelius listened, his system scanning a spectrum of likely outcomes. He knew the kingdom's future was no longer decided strictly in palaces or courtrooms, but on the tongues of merchants and the stones of back alleys.
He gave his orders:
- **Expose the Saboteurs:** Calista and her mages would trace the source of inflammatory leaflets, using subtle magic to turn the next slander against its authors.
- **Secure the Guilds:** Sir Lucien would meet personally with each guildmaster, promising open accounts, fair trade, and full protection from intimidation. Aurelius himself would speak to the city's artisans, putting face and promise against rumor.
- **Prepare for Direct Attack:** Trusted knights fortified the estate, while Aurelius's beast companions kept discrete watch throughout Eloria's winding streets and rooftops.
That evening, as dusk painted the sky in amber and violet, Aurelius convened a public assembly in the central square. He addressed the city not from a balcony, but from the cobblestones—eye to eye with craftspeople, merchants, and commoners.
> "Let none rule by shadow or rumor. If House Davian's gold threatens Eloria, then today, our ledgers stand open. If our reforms threaten tradition, let the old ways stand in the light and be measured against tomorrow's promise. And if fear still creeps among us, I will meet it—here and now, with open hand and blade alike."
His words, confident and unwavering, calmed many. Yet the real turning point came when one of the would-be saboteurs—the master of a minor smithing guild—stepped forward, confessed to being promised Weskerian gold in exchange for inciting riots, and begged for mercy. Aurelius granted pardon, demanding only that truth banish further plots.
On that night, House Davian's legend was not merely one of gold or sword. Eloria saw a sovereign unafraid to fight in broad daylight—and unafraid to forgive, securing loyalty not just through strength, but through wisdom.
But as Aurelius retired, a coded message arrived:
> "The Seven will regroup. Next time, they seek not your ruin, but the throne itself."
Aurelius studied the warning beneath lantern light, resolve hardening. The Council of Seven's ambition was no longer just to check House Davian, but to remake the kingdom—at any cost.
The game had changed again. As the torches flickered and the city dreamed uneasy dreams, Aurelius prepared for a conflict that would reach beyond Eloria's stones, into the fragile heart of power itself.
**To be continued...**