Arcane Era-Chapter 92: Hidden Mastermind (Part 1)

Sarvos was currently going through economic hardship.

Even big businesses were failing, with some even leaving the Nation to set up their enterprise elsewhere.

The nation-wide recession made it very easy to spot the wealthy people in the Nation, most of which were in attendance at the banquet. Speaking of the banquet, many of the attendees were actually experiencing economic hardships but had to put up an affluent facade in order to save face and maintain their reputation.

Theo missed all of these intricate details since he was a complete stranger to bourgeois life, so he assumed they were all well-off. Kamara, however, could see through the ruse due to her wealth of experience.

"When factoring in those who are truly wealthy in Sarvos, there really aren’t many. As for those wealthy enough to have the number of Armaments we’re looking for, there are even fewer. Of course, there’s a chance that this person could be hidden from the public or could be an outsider, but looking at the frequency of these attacks and the targets... it’s clear that they have some interests in Sarvos."

"Plus, the fact that they could infiltrate the Palace so many times means they have some connections to the Royal Family." Theo added to Kamara’s words, causing the latter to smile while nodding at him.

"Exactly. In the end, our major suspect is most likely related to the Royal Family." She sighed, groaning a little. "What a headache."

"What about the Revolutionary Kings? They have motive." Liyah asked. "It’s possible that they have spies in the Royal Palace, making it easy for them to achieve the same goals."

Theo and Kamara glanced at each other.

It was evident that they had the same thoughts on the matter that Liyah raised.

"The Revolutionary Army is too busy trying to win a war, and are in desperate need of Armaments. It’s highly unlikely that they would keep attacking the Royal Family through assassinations after failing several times." Kamara replied.

"Plus, if the Revolutionary Army had such a method, wouldn’t they go for more strategic targets than the Prince... or you? No offense, but there are more important threats to target."

"None taken. But didn’t they capture the princess? It’s possible they also want to take one of the princes captive as well, or maybe even kill them to deal a heavy blow to the Royal Family."

"Doing that would reduce the support of the masses, which the Revolutionary Army is currently trying to win over." Arlet chipped in. "Even if they win the war, they’re still an illegitimate government, and Sarvos has been run by a monarchy since its establishment. To fill the power vacuum, they need the people of Sarvos to support them, which means relying less on underhanded tactics... at least, not making it so obvious."

Theo and Kamara nodded at Arlet’s words, impressed by his deductions.

It showed he had a good grasp of the situation and was somewhat experienced in political matters. Unlike him, Liyah and Kaycee were novices who were simply too naive, so they couldn’t accurately decipher the problem Sarvos was facing.

As for Theo, he was neither experienced nor politically educated.

However, he understood Sarvos very clearly and was also very observant of details. Plus, he had a deep insight into the minds of people, allowing him to view things from a very logical standpoint.

Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and this conversation exhibited them.

The only one who was without any errors was Kamara, and that was simply due to her immense knowledge and unmatched experience in the field. She had been a member of the Ak’ashi Guild for ten years, after all.

No one could beat her when it came to intuition or analysis.

"Other than the reasons why the Revolutionary Army is likely not to be involved, there is a compelling reason why it could be the Royal Family," She said.

"Are you referring to the Royal Succession?" Theo asked.

"You know about it?"

"Not full details, but I know it happens between the princes to determine the next King."

Kamara smiled and nodded once again. "I guess it’s only to be expected that you’d know that much. You grew up here, after all."

"What’s the Royal Succession?" Liyah asked, while Kaycee and Arlet remained silent.

It seemed they had a bit of an idea of what the term meant, but Liyah was completely ignorant.

"It’s essentially a system for succession in Sarvos involving the children of the King eligible for the throne." Kamara explained. "Women are not involved, and the same applies to minors. Hence, the princess and third prince cannot participate."

It was strictly between First Prince Raimund and Second Prince Jesse.

"The Second Prince is widely accepted as the most capable of the two of them, and it’s evident that he’ll win if the Royal Succession Contest is held. However, if it doesn’t hold, then the rash and less competent Raimund Vi Sarvosia will automatically become Crown Prince."

Anissa, Jericho, and Liam were not eligible, so they weren’t in the equation at all. Besides, one of them—Anissa—was currently in the clutches of the Revolution. As for Jericho, she was already involved in a political marriage with a rich feudal lord in Ariel.

This arranged marriage would strengthen Sarvos, increasing its number of allies and resources.

"This has caused some tension to appear in the Royal Family. They show a strong, united front to the public in order to hide the real truth that exists behind the scenes. There are a lot of schemes and politics going on in the Royal Palace at the moment, especially between the First Prince and Second Prince."

Why?

The reason was very simple.

"Raimund doesn’t want the Royal Succession Contest to take place since that means he’ll most likely not win, but since there’s very little hope of it happening at the moment, the Second Prince could be getting desperate... targeting the First Prince as a result."

During the banquet incident, it was clear that the First Prince was the target of elimination.

"If we look at it from that angle, the Second Prince has the strongest motive for killing the First Prince... but, something doesn’t add up." Liyah mumbled, almost quietly, "Why can’t the Royal Succession Contest take place?"

"I’m guessing it’s due to the Civil War."

"It’s most likely because of the Civil War."

Theo and Arlet spoke at the same time, their words overlapping with each other. They glanced at each other, leaking out quiet smirks.

They both thought the same way and ended up at the exact conclusion.

"You hit the nail on the head. The Royal Succession Contest cannot be held when the Nation is in a state of emergency. The Civil War counts as such, and as long as the Revolutionary Army remains a threat, the First Prince is guaranteed to be the Crown Prince." Kamara let out a tired sigh. "The biggest issue is that while there really isn’t a specified period when the Royal Succession is meant to occur, once it begins, it must conclude in three years."

"I’m guessing the Contest already started before the Civil War began..."

"Yes." She admitted to Theo. "A few months after it was announced, the Civil War started—almost suspiciously so."

This kept some suspicion on the First Prince, but without evidence it was all speculation.

’I didn’t know any of these details because I was incarcerated at the time...’ Theo nodded to himself, realizing that he would have at least gotten rumors if he was a free man during this period.

His lack of information regarding Sarvos could be traced back to his time in the fortress.

He found it a little vexing.