The next day, inside the dungeon in the capital, Duke Kelvin was sitting on hard ground. The air was cold and stale, and the scent of iron bars filled the room.
"Almost," he mumbled. "Just a bit more."
He'd endured staying almost a year in this filthy place, all for the sake of accomplishing his goals. Although the Duchy and the naval bases had been destroyed by the demons, Duke Kelvin still did not lose hope.
Although the coronation ceremony was looming closer, he did not look at it as an obstacle, but as an opportunity. If he played his cards right, he could use the previous atrocious deeds of the new king as an excuse to spark a civil war in the kingdom.
From the shadows of the dungeon, a voice spoke, "Duke, your son, Calisto, seeks an audience with you."
Finally. The long-awaited report from his men was here.
Duke Kelvin looked at the empty space in front of him. "Bring him to me."
"Understood."
Bypassing the guards guarding the entrance of the dungeon using magic, Calisto and several members of Black Midas entered the prison.
Calisto removed the hood over his head and knelt on one knee upon meeting the gaze of his father.
"Have you been well, father?" said Calisto. He noticed that the duke had become a lot slimmer.
"Stop with the pleasantries," said Duke Kelvin. "Report."
"Of course."
Calisto took out a fist-sized crystal and handed it to the duke. It was a recording crystal created by the Elders of Wizzert. A rare artifact that cost half a thousand gold coins.
"We've spread the rumors as you've ordered, father," said Calisto. "The entire capital is now in uproar. The royals had no choice but to postpone the coronation ceremony to a later date."
Duke Kelvin smirked. Everything was going according to his plans.
Like a puppeteer, everyone was dancing on the palms of his hands. He activated the recording crystal and played the recorded contents inside. The hazy faces of several people protesting in the Central Plaza soon came into view.
"He repeatedly raped my daughter, and as though that wasn't enough, killed her!" shouted one of the women standing on a wooden platform.
"He also beat my grandfather to a pulp after he accidentally spilled Lark Marcus' drinks in a tavern!" another woman shouted in a hysterical voice. "Without any money, we couldn't even ask the healers for help!
Before we could even reach the temple, my grandfather perished!"
Even from the recording device, the duke could see the heated expressions of the mob. They trembled in rage hearing of all these crimes.
"Commoners like us are whipped for petty crimes like stealing bread to survive another day! But what about Lark Marcus? Even after smuggling drugs and illegally trafficking children and turning them into slaves, he remains unpunished!"
"Even when Lark Marcus rapes an innocent woman, or kills a hardworking grandfather, he remains free! Because of what? Because he's a goddamn noble of this kingdom!"
The crowd in the Central Plaza roared. They started chanting in unison.
"Punish Lark Marcus!"
"Punish Lark Marcus!"
"Make him pay for his crimes!"
"He does not deserve the throne!"
"We shouldn't let him become the next king of this kingdom!"
Duke Kelvin chuckled as he turned the device off. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Your men sure know how to act," Duke Kelvin said to the leader of Black Midas in the room.
"Not all is an act, Duke," said the leader. "Most of those people are real victims of Lark Marcus. Although the part regarding the rape and the death of the old man are fabricated, Lark Marcus was indeed involved in smuggling drugs and trafficking children."
Even Duke Kelvin was surprised upon hearing the last part of the statement. "He was involved in trafficking children?" said the duke.
"Based on the information we've gathered, yes," said the leader. "We have strong evidence that he tortured those children for the sake of entertainment."
The duke's eyes widened. He guffawed, his laugh echoing through the dungeon. Thankfully, the magic cast here made it impossible for the guards at the entrance to hear him.
"He's a bigger bastard than me, huh?!" said the duke.
With this much evidence against Lark Marcus, it would be extremely easy to turn the kingdom against him. It was no exaggeration to say that the moment he ascended the throne, a civil war could easily take place.
Although drugs and prostitution could be easily forgiven, involving children—moreover torturing them—would never be acceptable to the citizens. It was the vilest act imaginable, even for nobles like them.
"Calisto, how are the nobles in our faction?"
Calisto said, "Almost half of them started joining the Marcus Faction, but with the current scandal surrounding Lark Marcus, it should be possible to win them over. Moreover, the guilds started showing their support to us, after hearing of the crimes Lark Marcus committed. It's only a matter of time before the Marcus family falls from grace, father."
Duke Kelvin nodded approvingly. "Good, good!"
No matter what the royal family chose, it would still end as Duke Kelvin's win. Even if Lark Marcus ascended the throne, these crimes that had come to light would forever tarnish him. As long as there was an opening, an opportunity, Duke Kelvin was confident of sparking a rebellion.
"But there's a bit of a problem," said Calisto.
"A problem?"
Calisto looked at the assassin leader next to him, prompting him to report in his stead.
The leader said, "Big Mona started moving, My Lord."
Duke Kelvin frowned. He knew of Big Mona's abilities very well.
From a nobody, that fat man rose to become the head of the Merchants Guild in Lion City. Moreover, he was connected to several influential people throughout the kingdom.
"Who did he come into contact with?" said the duke.
"Casius and the leader of the rats of the slum, My Lord," said the assassin leader.
"That meddlesome pig," muttered the duke. "Threatening Casius wasn't enough, huh? To think that he would ally himself with Big Mona.
That fool."
"The rats of the slum also started moving throughout the capital, father," said Calisto. "Although it isn't certain, we believe that they're trying to quell the rumors we've been trying to spread."
Duke Kelvin clenched his fists. He couldn't let those lowlifes do as they please.
Those damned people from the slums. They should have just stayed in their ratholes, away from everyone's sight. They would soon regret choosing the wrong side in this battle.
"Mobilize the spies we've planted in the king's castle," said Duke Kelvin.
"Your orders?" said the assassin leader.
"The method doesn't matter. Kill Big Mona," said Duke Kelvin. "Also, send several men to Casius and the leader of the slums. Threaten them to stop what they're doing, and if that doesn't work, kill them."
The assassin leader placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head.
"As you will."
*** The rats of the slums were surprisingly effective in spreading new rumors regarding the next king of the nation.
Using the money they received from Big Mona, they started dressing in decent clothes and infiltrated the Outer and Middle Districts of the capital.
At a tavern in the Outer District… "Hey, did you hear? Lark Marcus wasn't actually involved in the smuggling of drugs in Yan City," the man from the slum whispered inside the tavern, his voice just loud enough for the tavern staff serving food at their table to hear.
Another man from the slum replied, "Yeah. I heard it too. My sister was a seamstress working in that city. According to her, the rumors are a lie!
She saw everything herself!"
"What did she see?"
The man leaned closer, as though the words he was going to say were top secret. Still, he made sure his voice was loud enough for the tavern server to hear.
"She saw it herself. The men from the Kelvin family were the ones involved in smuggling drugs into Yan City!"
At a temple near the Central Plaza… "God Nereus, thank you for giving us salvation," another man from the slum knelt and prayed loudly. It was early in the morning, and only he and an elderly priest were present.
"For saving my brother from the demons, for granting us the cure…" The man from the slums trembled, as though he couldn't contain his emotions. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he stared at the Water God's statue.
"I thought that I was going to lose my brother as well," the skilled actor sobbed. "But he survived! And it's by your grace, oh merciful God!"
After praying, the man wiped the tears in his eyes, stood up, and left the temple. The moment he was about to reach the exit, a voice was heard behind him.
The man from the slums suppressed a smile from forming on his face.
It was the response he wanted.
"Wait!"
The man looked behind him and saw a priest panting. From the altar, he must have run all the way here.
"Wait," huffed the elderly priest.
The man from the slums stood there and waited, but did not speak.
Based on his experience when he was swindling people in the dark alleys, in moments like these, the fewer the words, the better.
"You said that your brother was cured?" said the elderly priest. For some reason, he did not have the air of dignity and composure usually held by a priest from the temple. And the man from the slum soon understood the reason.
"Just like my friend… Your brother. Did he… become possessed by the demons too?"
Parasitization.
Even the citizens of the capital had heard of the demons' abilities to take control of their prey's bodies. Even now, a cure was unheard of. No wonder the priest was dumbfounded upon hearing such words coming out of the mouth of this devout believer.
The man from the slums looked the priest in the eyes. He slowly nodded his head and said, "Yes."
"B-But how?" said the elderly priest. "We have some priests residing in Quasan City. And among them… a close friend of mine was possessed by the demons. I was told that a cure was impossible..."
"Lark Marcus," said the man from the slums.
The elderly priest had not expected to hear that vile human's name here. That human trash who tortured children for the sake of entertainment.
Even now, the priest couldn't understand why they hadn't arrested and executed that devil incarnate.
"Lark Marcus has managed to create a cure. My brother is a living testament to it. If you're doubting my words, priest, you can go to the Alchemist Guild and confirm it."
"The Alchemist Guild…" mumbled the elderly priest.
The man from the slums politely bowed his head. "If you'll excuse me."
The priest remained standing there, long after the man from the slums left. He couldn't understand it. Why would that devil incarnate, who raped women and killed children for the sake of entertainment, create a cure for the demon's curse?
It was gradual, but the priest started doubting the credibility of the rumors circulating in the capital. After pondering for some time, the priest decided to verify and see the truth for himself. Together with some acolytes, he went to the Alchemist Guild.