The King of the Central Realm possessed several Aides, figures closely connected to the Watchers, who acted as a bridge between the Faceless Soldiers, the Watchers, the Alchemists, and their competing interests. These were the ones who descended when necessary, ensuring that what was known as the Queen's Law remained intact. Yet what the Queen's Law actually was remained largely unknown.
Before the fragmentation of the Realms, the Queen had not established a rigid code. She had only declared that Universal Laws existed, and that no one stood above them, not even the Lords. The Universal Laws themselves were neither fixed nor complete; they were a chaotic accumulation of experience and tradition, revised, ignored, rediscovered, and forgotten across generations.
The idea was that the grounds of the Central Realm would not be based on a list of norms, but on the will of the Queen, and for this, the Queen had sacrificed herself entirely so that she would not be compromised in her task. It was only after her time that her presence in the constitution of the Central Realm diminished, with concrete rules gradually taking their place. The power of the King was merely the residue of what remained of the Queen's role.
Despite the Queen's insistence that all citizens of the Central Realm should have access to these laws, this had never truly been achieved. And beyond this, the true machinery governing the actions of Soldiers, Watchers, and even Lords was not written law, but unspoken tradition, these being customs formed over thousands of years, and habits followed without question. There were no formal punishments for ignoring them, but the political cost was unbearable.
Throughout the entire history of the Queen's Universal Laws not one figure in the hierarchy of the Lords had openly gone against them. They could act in secrecy, or they could rely on loopholes, but they would never directly oppose the Queen's will.
And the King's Aides existed as a reminder that the Universal Laws still mattered.
"The entire forest?" the King's Aide said. "And how am I supposed to explain this to the King?"
Before him stood the Supreme Leader of the Central Realm, the head of all enforcement.
"These recent actions of yours have been… irrational," the Aide continued. "But I will overlook them for now. The Watchers were successful with you, as you are a valuable asset to the King, and I can persuade him that your actions were proportionate."
He paused.
"But I did not call you here for that."
"I believe I already know why."
"Yes, we have discussed it before. But the facts cannot be ignored."
The Aide leaned forward slightly.
"First, the failure to capture Shenric while he remained in the Western sector of the Realm, an operation connected to the Western Leader. Second, three missing officials, all of whom passed through the Western territories. The Western Leader has neither recovered them nor provided an explanation. Third, the continued existence of Shadow Clan remnants in the West, something he has failed to eliminate. And finally… Lian of the Shadow Clan."
The Supreme Leader's silver eyes behind his mask did not change.
"I heard that you sent someone to interrogate her."
"I did," the Aide replied. "And I will be honest with you. Though the investigation has yielded nothing, I am certain she plays a central role within the Shadow Clan."
He turned his gaze aside.
"We extracted no information, nothing tangible. And yet… I know."
"But the Western Leader reports no suspicion?"
"He insists there is nothing."
"Then perhaps he simply failed to notice anything of importance."
"No," the Aide said quietly.
He shook his head.
"That is not it. The Western Leader has always been… unusual."
He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"There are moments when I wonder whether he is too perfect to be a Faceless Being."
The Supreme Leader remained silent.
"A Soldier, or even a Leader, will speak the truth of an operation, even when they know it will damage their standing," the Aide continued. "But with him… it feels different. When he speaks, he does not simply report. I can feel that is reassuring me."
"I do not believe such a thing is possible."
"Perhaps not," the Aide replied. "Which is why I am entrusting this matter to you. You may reach a more precise conclusion than I can."
"Very well."
The Aide shifted the conversation.
"How does the situation in the Eastern Forests progress?"
"It is no longer in the Forests."
"He reached the Golden City?"
"He has vanished entirely. None of the Soldiers present, including myself, could detect any movement, any trace of energy. It was as though he removed himself from reality in a single instant. It is something that should have been completely beyond the ability of himself and his accomplices."
"The Eye of Sophia… and now this," the Aide murmured. "You must find him soon, before this becomes something far worse."
"I can now confirm the origin of the temple we were investigating."
"And?"
"The one you suspected."
At this, the King's Aide rose from his seat and walked toward the window at the top of the tower. Below, the fortified castles of the Soldiers stretched across the landscape.
"This matter concerning the Dark Alchemist," he said quietly, "must not be revealed. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"I will handle it," the Aide continued. "You will investigate the Western Leader."
The Supreme Leader bowed his head and departed.
Left alone, the King's Aide stared out across the vast expanse of the Central Realm.
A thousand years of laws, a thousand years of traditions, and yet, everything was beginning to fracture.
The Shadow Clan had been a compromised entity from its inception. It should never have posed a real threat. And yet its influence had spread, and its agents had endured. Its actions had destabilised even the highest levels of power. How had that been allowed to happen?
And then there was the matter of the Dark Alchemist.
The Aide frowned slightly.
He did not understand people, not at all.