The Ruthless Magic Swordsman

Aurellian Capital — One Week Later

The golden spires of Aurellia's capital gleamed under midday sun—but inside the marble halls, rot spread.

Whispers coiled through court like smoke:

"Verentis grows too strong…"

"The boy refuses orders—rewrites battlefields…"

"His family will crown themselves kings next…"

Ascendrian spies, cloaked in noble robes, fed the flames:

> "Rebellion simmers."

"Border victories are dangerous. Achilles destabilizes everything."

"We fracture Aurellia from within."

---

⚔ The Council Fractures

The High Council chamber descended into argument:

Some nobles demanded Achilles stripped of command.

Others whispered of assassination—political or literal.

Loyalists, rare and cornered, defended the Verentis name.

Achilles' father, Lord Darius Verentis, stood defiant:

> "My son holds the Eastern Border alone."

"You plot while he bleeds."

"Without him, Ascendria devours us whole."

A sneering Duke retorted:

> "Or he returns—not as a hero—but as a usurper."

"The border breeds conquerors, not patriots."

The courtroom roared—alliances shifting, fractures widening.

---

🌫 Seeds of Rebellion

Across cities, hidden cells—funded quietly by Ascendria—stirred unrest:

Disgruntled merchants incited riots.

Disguised agents spread forged decrees in Achilles' name.

Saboteurs whispered: "The Verentis boy rewrites the border… next, he rewrites the throne."

Systemic destabilization—a program Achilles couldn't yet see, running behind the lines.

---

🌑 Achilles at the Border

Meanwhile, at the Eastern Front, Achilles watched soldiers train, fortify, recover—unaware of the full storm building behind him.

But his System pulsed a distant warning:

>>> Internal Kingdom Stability: Degrading

>>> False Orders Circulating in Capital

>>> Political Coup Probability: Rising

Kael approached:

> "More border reports—Ascendria's quiet."

"Too quiet."

Achilles' eyes narrowed:

> "They're not done fighting us…"

"They've just changed battlefields."