A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 208 Aristocratic Faction Conspiracy

After seeing off all the students, Rorschach and Pascal walked back to the Tower of Stars.

Although he often stayed up late in his past life, Rorschach now lives without electronic devices and his sleep schedule is in "health mode." He yawned slightly. Pascal still had to go back and finish the work that wasn't done at the research building, which meant he would have to stay up late again.

No wonder you always look so listless.

Pascal shrugged. "I'm used to it. My mind only really gets sharp at night."

"Then you're suited to be a necromancer."

"Get lost, what an outdated profession."

The two strolled down the street, ignoring the harassment from the security team because of their status, and swaggered across the street, drinking beverages from Rorschach's storage ring.

Huh? There are still houses with lights on at this hour? Rorschach walked through rows of dark houses, except for one grand mansion whose upper floors were still lit up, and as he approached, he could hear the sounds of laughter and joking.

"They must be a bunch of rich drunks," Pascal muttered.

They were indeed drinking in the building they passed, but the attendees were all perfectly sober. They were comfortably lounging on sofas and chairs, smoking, drinking, and making some crude jokes.

Playing cards were scattered on the small round table, and several scantily clad waitresses stood close to the guests, their slender fingers picking up small snacks and feeding them to those they were serving.

Although the organizers and venue providers were others, the leader was undoubtedly Count Granor. He had first played cards a few months earlier at the royal palace, trembling with fear, but now he was invincible, winning every game.

"Ahem." After the Count gave the signal, the owner of the house immediately understood and dismissed all the servants. After the door closed, Granor patted the armrest, and the gem on his ring shone brightly, isolating the entire space from the outside world.

This change caused the other guests to abandon their relaxed and joking demeanor and sit up straight. Granor watched with satisfaction as they adopted the proper attitude towards him, and began to speak unhurriedly:

"I believe that everyone has gathered here despite their busy schedules not just for playing cards. Today, I have some top-secret news to share with you all: a meeting of dignitaries is about to be held, and representatives from the Magic Guild and the Tower of Stars will be invited to attend."

Everyone present was a spellcaster, and upon hearing this news, they were initially taken aback: "It's been over a hundred years since such a meeting has been held. Is this His Majesty the King's decree?"

Granor urged everyone to remain calm: "By the time the King's decree is issued, the whole city will probably know. My inside information comes from the Treasurer, and since another official is in charge of this matter, it's practically a done deal!"

Both the left and right hemispheres of the kingdom were pushing for this, and to outsiders, His Majesty the King would have to agree even if he didn't want to.

In fact, after learning that Duplessi was going to hold a meeting of dignitaries, Necker had another argument with the prime minister in front of His Majesty the King.

But Charles XVI eventually agreed to hold the meeting, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer immediately changed his strategy to try to control the agenda and process of the meeting, including leaking information to Granoller and others and trying to win over and contact other people.

Such inside information caused the audience to whisper among themselves. Granor gestured for silence with his hands, but before he could finish speaking, he continued, "Once we get to the meeting, of course we want to secure the greatest benefits. But think about it, who are the most likely delegates to attend, and who can secure benefits for us?"

The council of nobles consisted of one vote each for counts and rank of nobles and bishops, while those below them held multiple votes.

First, there are the representatives of the Buddhist monks.

Most spellcasters do not have their own fiefdoms or clear hierarchical relationships, not to mention that many are unwilling to get involved in "trivial matters." Therefore, following the custom of a hundred years ago, the mages would first publicly elect a leader to vote on behalf of all intermediate and higher-level spellcasters.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the chief mages of the Star Tower, Thunderstorm Tower, and Primordial Earth Tower within the Holy Kingdom will serve as representatives, and the aloof Primordial Earth Tower will delegate the voting rights to the chief mage of the Star Tower.

Secondly, there were noble leaders who wore robes.

Primarily, they are the chief justices of the Kingdom's Supreme Court, local royal chief justices, and key administrative personnel who have received honors.

They not only represented the kingdom's judicial power, but could also represent big merchants and bankers, many of whom had bought their noble robes and appointment certificates from the king.

Finally, in addition to the bishops, the church also has clergy representatives elected by the clergy assembly. These clergy are of low rank, often priests and rural priests, but they often act in unison with the bishops at the assembly.

"Now there are four factions: the robed nobles, the landed nobles, the church, and us. This position is extremely important." Everyone knows that, following tradition, the chief archmage of the Tower of Stars, Archmage Kano, will hold the votes for both towers and will have absolute authority within the guild. He alone represents the Holy Kingdom's magic guild and two-thirds of all mages!

Among the guests were newly emerging noble mages who, like Granor, had received fiefdoms in the sub-planes, as well as spellcasters born into prominent families who remained bound to their families even after their ascension. If these factions were to be given a name, they might be called the "noble faction" among mages.

"Kano was originally a surname highly valued by the late king, but now Lionel is betraying the family's honor and His Majesty the King!"

"Yes, look at his students, what kind of people are they? Some went to teach in the Empire, some participated in radical activities, and some were sent by the Empire to run rampant in the capital."

Understanding who Granor was targeting, the others chimed in with their complaints. Lionel Cano's father was both a master of mathematics and a logistical genius, highly regarded by Charles XIV, who wanted to build a powerful army, and oversaw the reforms of the Valois army with remarkable success.

And then that was it. After the fifteenth generation, military preparedness declined, and due to ideological differences, the father and son parted ways with the royal family. Before becoming the chief of the Star Tower, Kano actively led the Magic Guild in supporting its subordinate trading companies, releasing a large amount of the Alchemy Department's achievements, and making the Star Tower more open in terms of student recruitment.

Such actions provoked discontent among the aristocratic faction.

Seeing that the time was right, Granor seized the opportunity to express his ambition: "Since everyone has grievances, it would be best to elect a more suitable representative before the meeting. To be honest, my territory has recently become more stable, and it would be nice to return to the Tower of Stars to teach and nurture students."

This old guy still wants to be the chief!

However, this would allow the noble faction to secure seats in the council of dignitaries. Granor was, after all, a great mage, and had close ties with Necker and Charles XVI. Considering this, the others either eagerly or reluctantly accepted the mage count's suggestion.

The intermediate mage Gerard de Villefort was the first to speak: "We support you in taking charge, Your Excellency."

Upon hearing this, the others no longer hesitated and expressed their support for Granor.

"Excellent, Gerald. Now that you're in charge of this investigation, you should keep a close eye on Cano's two unruly students. I'm sure you'll find something of value. Let's wish Master Villefort success!" Granor led the way by raising his glass, making Gerald's face flush.

(End of this chapter)