Chương 74: The Elf Conspiracy (1)

The first thing Simon did upon waking up was to open his Inventory. For a very brief second, his heart lit up with hope upon seeing the stored item icons on his System screen. Princess Satine's soul gem, his stored rings, even his morning star was there, and Simon hoped he had found a loophole in the reigns… until he tried to access the items themselves. Trying to summon his morning star only resulted in an error message. That's very strange, Simon thought.

Inventory should drop all items inside it upon my death, so I shouldn't have any of them stored within; yet it seems under the impression that they're still there, just unavailable. Is this a System malfunction? Another surprise came when Simon added one of the books in his room to his Inventory. The item appeared in an empty space rather than overwriting a useless one. Simon easily summoned it back without issue and then added it again.

It once more appeared in an empty space, as if the other stored items still remained. Simon was quite disturbed by the implications. Did the items still exist somewhere and were beyond his reach? Did the previous reign endure beyond his death? Or was his Perk simply malfunctioning due to being a Merchant ability never designed to interact with the Overlord Class? He couldn't tell, and that bothered him.

Nonetheless, the mere fact that some information remained from a previous reign, even a mere icon on a screen, was something utterly new and fascinating to Simon. Was it a hint at how the time-loop functioned, or the natural result of his stats traveling back to the past with him? Could it be used to transfer immaterial information from one reign to the next? Could it transfer minds?

Simon still had Satine's soul gem stored in his Inventory when Louis slew him, but it was just as unavailable as the rest of his other items. Perhaps he should try to contact the current reign's version of the princess at some point and check if she had been affected by this anomaly too. With little more to do on that front and more work to do on others, Simon decided to regularly check the Inventory screen for any changes and focus on the current issue at hand: infiltrating the elf conspiracy.

The trap was sprung within the first hours of the new reign.

"It is my will as emperor that my bastard son, Simon Magnos, be cared for," the Keeper of the Throne said, reading the Overlord's altered final testament to the imperial court.

"Although his lesser birth bars him from princely offices, he shall be entrusted with five slaves of his picking alongside ownership of my personal attendant, Agnes Firewand. He shall be granted the rank of baron and ownership of a tract of land covering Magvolia's Darkwood and surrounding villages." The audience erupted in murmurs and whispers, with Simon scowling and feigning shock.

"The Darkwood?" he asked Lauriane.

"What is that?"

"It is an…" His sister hesitated about how to break the news.

"An underdeveloped region of Magvolia."

"Oh… it's a dump, isn't it?" Simon asked, with Lauriane now looking embarrassed.

"I should have known."

"A baron title is nothing to scoff at," Lauriane tried to reassure him, though she didn't deny the dump accusations, "and the proof that our father loved you."

"Or an insult," Simon replied with a grimace. He glanced at a scowling Euphemia, fearing she would call out the testament as a forgery as she did when he dared to use it to arrange a betrothal to Anna. The dowager empress instead exchanged words with High Confessor Mastemo. What she heard seemed to reassure her. She didn't contest Simon's claim, and the Keeper moved on to naming Casval Ashmodai as the Overlord's heir. So far so good, Simon thought.

He avoided Patriate Malphas' gaze, though he knew for a fact the Merchant was likely already appraising him. Legitimization seems to be her red line, but being gifted slaves and a minor title does not raise too much suspicion. As for Louis, he didn't seem to care all that much either way. Standing in the same room as him so soon after he slaughtered Simon and his entire cult made his skin crawl.

That smile Louis sported at the end of the reign, and the way he outright rejoiced at the thought of more archfiends rising, chilled Simon to the bone. Was he such a warmonger that he relished the idea of challenging powerful monsters for more levels? Or did his vision of fighting overpopulation include wholesale massacre? All in all, Simon was convinced Louis would make a terrible emperor. Perhaps he should try to approach Euphemia in a future reign.

As much as Simon disliked his stepmother, she at least seemed to favor diplomacy over wanton violence. Either way, baron titles were non-inheritable, so Simon wouldn't be able to threaten the princes of the blood, and the Darkwood's area was such an unenviable fiefdom that most nobles likely believed Balzam granted it to his bastard son as a joke. Belzemine was a rather precious gift, but it reassured all the major factions to see her shipped away from Frightwall rather than risk her joining their enemies.

Moreover, he now looked like a prime target for recruitment for the White Unicorn. Simon had hesitated about outright arranging a betrothal with Elaine Malphas in the testament, but the ploy would have been too obvious. He had instead simply set the stage for Patriate to approach him on his own. A disgraced bastard denied princehood, with Firewand as a retainer and who had been granted lands in Magvolia—which they planned to rouse into revolt—was simply too good of a catch.

It was all a question of dispelling suspicions now.

"Why did my father assign you to me, Lady Firewand?" Simon asked Belzemine.

"I do not know, but it is my duty to obey the Overlord's orders," Belzemine replied without any emotion. It hurt Simon to see her like this at the beginning of each reign.

"I will serve you as I served your father."

"I… I appreciate the sentiment, but I admit I don't know what to do with you," Simon replied, scratching the back of his head and whispering into his sister's ear.

"What do you think, Lauriane?"

"I won't lie, having her as a slave will bring many eyes on you," her sister replied honestly.

"No harm will come to you under her care, but if you remain set on living in peace and anonymity, I would suggest handing her over to me."

"Yeah," Simon muttered, knowing Patriate was likely eavesdropping on them.

"I guess I'll have some time to think about it before the Academy." Now this all but guaranteed that the traitor Patriate would establish contact with him rather than risk Belzemine slipping through his grasp. He had only sent Elaine to the Academy when Louis attended it, which meant they felt threatened by the possibility that Simon might hand her over to someone they considered a threat to Illusea. He should be wise enough to try and kill that possibility in the crib. The fish would bite soon enough.

"Uyo?" Shabram asked with a frown.

"The city of Rhapta?"

"A great disaster will come from that region," Simon warned her. Meeting with her in her office to discuss incoming threats had become something of a habit.

"An archfiend will rise from the lost city at the end of the next year's Frimaire month. It will kill everyone in the whole region upon waking."

"And Your Majesty wants me to locate it?"

"Yes. There is a woman in Whispermire, Odette Kano, who has spent most of her life planning an expedition to reach the lost city. She has fallen under the sway of a criminal organization, but could be easily convinced to sever ties and work for us in exchange for assistance and funding." Especially if they were to hold her illegal manalith mine over her head.

"Secure her loyalty and have agents keep an eye on the Darkwood. A sealed fiend lurks there too, and the White Unicorn will likely use the town of Whispermire as a staging ground for a revolt in the following months." Shabram once again took him at his word.

"Very well. I shall send people to recruit this Odette Kano, and keep an eye on the region."

"So it's true," Simon said, a frown on his face.

"You think the Overlord Class grants me prophetic abilities." She smiled slyly at him.

"Does it not?" Simon felt icy fingers pressing on his throat, warning him not to confirm her assumptions or even give her a hint.

"I simply wonder where this assumption came from."

"What other explanation is there for our empire's success?" Shabram sat on her desk.

"The Overlords have defied the Oracle's predictions for centuries, in spite of her constant attempts to grind us down. Immunity to divination and old Commander passive Perks cannot explain all of their successes. Your father predicted events years in advance and made moves whose brilliance only made sense in hindsight." You are right, Simon wanted to reply before the pressure on his neck convinced him otherwise.

He had hoped to perhaps obliquely hint at the time-loop by suggesting his Class could observe the future, but the Crimson Throne's curse wouldn't give him that much leeway. It didn't trigger when I pretended to have prophetic dreams as Simon Magnos… it will only react to information pointing to the Overlord Class.

"Who else believes this?" Simon replied evasively.

"Louis?"

"Him, Euphemia, probably Lord Paimon too. The truth wasn't hard to glimpse for those working closely enough with Your Majesty's father." Shabram crossed her legs.

"I suspect this power has limits, especially when forced to constantly duel with the Oracle and your father's recent demise, but I know better than to bet against the Overlord."

"I see…" That would also explain Louis' reaction in the previous reign too.

"You would be wise to do as I say, yes. Believe me when I say terrible things will happen to our world otherwise."

"Of that, I have no doubt." Shabram raised an eyebrow.

"Does Your Majesty intend to claim Whispermire as their tract of land?"

"Yes." Considering how integral it had been to the White Unicorn's plans in the previous reign, this should ease his infiltration of their movement.

"The disasters that will strike Uyo and Magvolia will only be the prelude to a global catastrophe. Did my father take any measures to protect the empire from sudden destruction?"

"He did." Shabram offered him a thick file." Operation Deepground is a decade-long project to build a network of highly fortified army bases and secret bunkers across the empire, each full of stockpiles of weapons, supplies, and manaliths to last for years. The goal was to ensure the military could survive localized natural disasters or Illusea's magical retaliations once the airship fleet began to bombard it. The Goetia Research Center is one such facility."

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So Balzam Magnos did take precautions to keep his empire afloat should he fail to stop the Zodiac Parade; a likely possibility since he had failed to locate all the demonbarrows. The fact that he prioritized the military over the common population was as pragmatic as it was loathsome. Duchar's archives were probably also built as part of this initiative. However, Simon immediately saw the flaws with the plans the moment he began to browse through the file.

First of all, only generals loyal to the Overlord were even informed of the plan, with their knowledge being limited to facilities within their governorships; and second, many facilities were magically sealed and required special codes to unlock.

"Do you have those codes?" Simon inquired. Shabram shook her head.

"His Late Majesty took that information to the grave." Balzam Magnos didn't want his empire to survive its emperor. Typical. Simon hoped he had at least recorded the codes in his secret archives. Could he put the plan into operation himself? It would require forming alliances with the generals and earning their trust, which would involve revealing himself as Overlord. Moreover, most facilities were located in regions loyal to one party or the other.

The entire system was set up so that only the ruling Overlord could preserve Endymion, by design.

"I'll look into this," Simon said after closing the file.

"Do you have information on Duke Eligos' family otherwise?"

"I have files on them, yes. Why?"

"The Malphas and the Flauros families are all traitors loyal to the White Unicorn, but their Eligos kin's loyalties are uncertain." Patriate's sister had married the duke but remained loyal to the War Party when it came to blows with the monarchists.

"I intend to infiltrate their organization and wipe it out from the inside. With your help, of course." Shabram scowled in annoyance at missing such a large conspiracy, then searched her files. She handed Simon the documents, including Pictomancer-drawn portraits of two graceful women. They looked enough alike that Simon identified them as sisters, and they shared the Malphas family's nose. He also vaguely recalled their faces from Balzam Magnos' book of conquests, which he wasn't sure what to make of.

"Anselma Flauros and Justine Eligos, born Malphas both," Shabram explained.

"Wives to dukes, both highly accomplished spellcasters and combatants. Anselma is a talented level 57 Arcanist with two weaker Healer and Artificer Classes, and Justine is an accomplished level 66 Dirge."

"Dirge… isn't that a Bard Vassal Class specialized in Diabolism and Necromancy?"

"It is. Justine is one of the most accomplished sanctioned diabolism users in the empire. She has bound many demons to her house's service." Simon checked the sisters' files. He could immediately see the difference between the two from the portraits alone. Anselma was a woman with long auburn hair framing a regal, ladylike face with pale blue eyes. She looked poised and confident, almost wise. Her sister Justine was a wholly different beast.

Although the sisters shared a similar face and eyes besides her bleached-blue hair—likely the result of dye or diabolism experiments—the devilish smile that one sported reminded Simon of Silk. Justine was dangerous and devious.

"The history of the two is relatively muddy until their brother's ascension to high office," Shabram explained as Simon browsed their files.

"There are records of Justine marrying twice to wealthy merchants prior to Duke Eligos, both of whom died early and whose wealth ended up funding the family's ascent."

"Charming," Simon deadpanned. He read that both sisters married their current husbands eight years ago, soon after their brother's promotion to Lord-Treasurer. This caused a small scandal in Justine's case, since Duke Eligos was fifty years her senior and with children.

"According to my information, the Flauros marriage is as happy as it can be," Shabram said.

"Lady Anselma and Duke Flauros get along fantastically, and she earned the people's trust by shrewdly investing in public infrastructures and putting her magical skills to use to solve a sanitary crisis a few years back. The Duke's heir, Robert Flauros, holds her in high esteem and considers her a close confidant." Enough that she likely recruited him for the White Unicorn, Simon thought.

"I assume the Eligos couple is another matter?"

"Duke Gerald Eligos is pushing eighty years old and requires his wife's anti-aging spells to keep his wits most of the time. His son and his wife perished in a boat 'accident'–," Shabram scoffed at the word, "that left their eight-year-old heir Henry in his step-grandmother's care." Simon met her gaze.

"You believe Justine murdered them?" His spymaster nodded sharply.

"My investigation showed hints of foul play, though nothing that could be tracked back to her. Many suspect Justine's anti-aging spells have actually put her husband under her mental control, and young Henry is firmly under her thumb. She leads House Eligos in all but name."

"She's been living a lavish existence since at the expense of the family's considerable coffers. The Eligos castle hosts festivities almost every week, her wardrobe would bankrupt smaller houses, and the lady of the house regularly cheats on her husband with young men or artists that catch her fancy." Interesting. Justine had more control over the Eligos House than her sister over the Flauros family, yet she outright helped suppress her kin during their failed rebellion. Had she turned coat at some point?

Or did she decide to play the long game by sacrificing her sister for the sake of preserving her cover?

"Something's odd. Both marriages are childless after eight years." Simon would have expected them to have had at least one child by now, considering the Flauros' apparent happy marriage and Justine's licentious lifestyle.

"And there are no solid records of any Malphas' birth…"

"I can dig further, if Your Majesty wants."

"Follow the money trail, too," Simon ordered as he opened up his Inventory to store the files.

"Every investment is potentially suspect, from Anselma's Flauros public works to her sister's lavish expenditur–" He froze in shock the moment the Inventory screen appeared. Nearly all icons had turned black. Not empty, not devoid of content, but pitch black. The items' names had turned into garbled abyssal runes oozing miasma that flashed in and out of existence. Only the spot holding his book from this reign was unaffected. What the…

Simon touched one of the black icons, only to receive an error message written in a demonic script. What caused this change?

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Shabram inquired.

"Nothing," Simon lied as he stored the files, with Shabram raising an eyebrow at the action without commenting on it. They only filled empty spaces rather than overwriting any of the black ones. Were the items still there somehow?

"Stick to observation for now, and keep Gourmand on hold. Acting too soon will tip the Malphas to our infiltration, but we will feed Patriate's soul to our jester for information once I have what we need. I also want you to keep a close eye on the exiled Princess Satine and provide me with constant reports on her activities. And don't forget to evacuate Frightwall on the day of the bombardment. I hope to put an end to it, but I cannot guarantee it."

"Will Your Majesty stay in Frightwall until then?" Shabram sounded almost hopeful.

"What about afterwards?"

"I will reveal myself once we have wiped out the White Unicorn's conspiracy within our walls," Simon decided.

"I will approach one of the factions to secure their cooperation against the other and keep the peace inside our borders."

"The Overlord officially joining one side would tip the scales, but both groups will require concessions," Shabram replied.

"Prince Louis will not relent on the imperial expansion campaign, and your stepmother will likely demand an insurance of some sort."

"I can be very persuasive, do not worry." Running a cult for a year had helped sharpen his public speaking skills quite a bit.

"Once we have purged the enemy inside our midst, it will be time to turn against the real threat." Simon had learned his lesson. He could ignore imperial politics, but imperial politics wouldn't ignore him. So he would play the game, and win it. True to Simon's plan, Patriate Malphas deviated from the usual script by inviting Simon to a private dinner with his daughter in his solar. His Inventory's contents had changed again by then. All the blackened icons had disappeared and transformed into empty spots.

Unlike last time, storing his book caused it to occupy one of them as if the items were gone. The Inventory Perk now worked like normal, as far as Simon could tell. Had the System purged itself of the malfunction over the last few hours? Or did the previous timeline… linger for a while? Simon couldn't exactly check either hypothesis now, but he would now keep a close eye on how his Inventory behaved at each reign's beginning. His gut told him this phenomenon was a critical hint to how the entire time loop worked.

Simon put those thoughts aside for now and focused on the matter at hand. Lord Patriate's sleeping quarters in Frightwall were relatively humble compared to those of House Magnos, but his table boasted among the finest meals Simon had ever supped on. Buttered cockatrice, krakenspawn soup, Uyo fruits, exotic sliced fish dishes from Fablan… and wine. Lots of wine to loosen the tongue.

"Is the food to your liking, Lord Simon?" Elaine asked him with a courteous smile. She had been seated next to him all dinner-long and did her best to entertain him by sharing the exact same tales about Thalas' humiliations that she recounted to him in a previous reign. Do I look like such an easy target? Simon wondered as he nodded.

"I'm not sure what to think of the Fablan fish, but it was very good."

"We lack the saltwater fish popular in Fablan, so our cooks have to adapt their recipes with substitutes the best they can," Patriate said.

"I was planning a trip there in a few months to discuss customs with its vicequeen. Would you like to join me then, Lord Simon?" To encourage them into rebellion?

"Maybe after my academy year," Simon replied before cutting to the chase.

"I thank you for the lovely dinner, but… why invite me at all, Lord Patriate? I never warranted your attention in the past."

"Actually, you did." Patriate raised an eyebrow.

"I thought His Late Majesty would have informed you."

"Informed me of what?"

"Your father and I were in discussions to arrange your betrothal to my daughter, Elaine." The lie was uttered with such aplomb that Simon would have likely believed it without the benefit of foresight.

"His savage murder cut our negotiations short, but I take his decision to grant you a baron title as a sign he wanted us to proceed with it."

"What, seriously?" Simon feigned confusion and glanced at Elaine.

"Surely you have better born suitors than me."

"You are kind, but mistaken," Elaine replied with contrition before trying to build an emotional rapport.

"Although my father is Lord-Treasurer, I shall forever remain a bastard in noble eyes. Our kind will never belong in their world."

"I'm afraid you will face similar sentiment at the Academy, Lord Simon," Patriate said with false sympathy.

"They see blood, not talent. I'm sure your father had that in mind when he wrote down his testament. Being betrothed to my daughter would help ease that burden." So that's the angle he's going for; that we're all commoners who need to stick together to survive. Simon had half-expected the traitor to try buying Belzemine outright, considering he was the Merchant and all, but the risk of starting a bidding war with the likes of Louis must have been too big.

Lord Patriate took his silence for a good sign and pushed on.

"Besides, your father's choice was wise in many ways. My sisters and in-laws oversee regions close to your own. I'm sure he picked the area and Lady Firewand to help ensure your safety."

"You're wrong. The bastard gave me Firewand and these lands as a taunt." Simon scowled and stared at his plate.

"He knew I wanted to live in peace away from court, so he painted a target on my back instead." Elaine put a hand on her mouth.

"Lord Simon, you shouldn't speak like that of your father–""Would you say the same if it was your mother he had murdered?" He had the pleasure of seeing a look of genuine shock in Elaine's and Patriate's eyes. It seemed this information was only known to Shabram and a select few.

"Your mother?" Elaine asked, aghast.

"He boasted about it one day. Showed me her skull." Simon clenched his fork with genuine anger. Just thinking about what Balzam did infuriated him to his core.

"Why do you think I spent my time in the library, keeping my head down?" He shook his head.

"That monster is dead, I don't have to hold my tongue or pretend to respect him anymore."

"I… I see," Patriate Malphas replied, taken aback. He probably hadn't expected the conversation to take such a sharp turn, but he took the story at face value too… which said a lot about Balzam Magnos' reputation.

"Anyway, I appreciate your kindness, Lord Patriate, but you would be better off looking for another suitor for your daughter," Simon told him.

"I'm still not sure if I'll even keep that damn plot of land, let alone Firewand. They are likely more trouble than they're worth, and my sister Lauriane would have more use for them both." Simon had to give it to his host, he was a trained spy. This must have been a terrible stress test to learn the woman he had literally died to free in a previous reign might end up in the War Party's clutches if he didn't act now, yet he nodded with the calm and poise of a true diplomat.

"I understand, Lord Simon," he lied easily, slightly insisting on the Lord part to better tempt him with respect that came with the noble lifestyle.

"Nonetheless, I fear you are being a bit hasty. Wouldn't you like to visit your fiefdom and my family first? I could arrange a trip to Magvolia for all of you."

"That would be a wonderful idea," Elaine said with enthusiasm. She boldly took Simon's hands into her own.

"My aunts are so very kind and wise, nothing like the likes of Lord Thalas. I'm certain beyond doubt you would love them, Lord Simon." Simon pretended to be flustered and taken aback, and hesitated a moment before answering.

"I…" Simon cleared his throat to better suppress a smirk.

"Alright… I will give it a try."