The setting sun dipped below the horizon as dusk descended.

For the ordinary residents of this city, it marked the approaching end of another day. Before the final traces of daylight vanished, they hurried through dinner, patched worn clothes, scolded mischievous children, or finished the last of their work.

Then they would fall asleep and wait for tomorrow’s sunrise.

After two straight months of war, shortages had naturally begun spreading throughout the city. Even basic necessities like lamp oil and candles had become scarce. As a result, even households that were once moderately well-off tried to conserve whatever they could, enduring the long nights in near-total darkness.

But for another group of people—

the disappearance of sunlight merely signaled the beginning of a different kind of illumination.

“Quick, hurry... everything must be absolutely perfect! Flawless! There cannot be a single mistake! What happens next concerns the future of the entire Kingdom!”

Under a flurry of urgent commands, a massive crystal chandelier was slowly hoisted upward. Warm orange light spilled from it, gentler than autumn sunlight itself, casting the entire room in a soft and beautiful glow.

As one of the Kingdom royal family’s most extravagant treasures, the chandelier’s light source was not expensive magic stones—

but a special kind of candle.

The candles were made from the oil of a rare white whale found only in the northern seas. Those whales were few in number and wandered only through waters of deadly cold, making them extraordinarily difficult to hunt.

As such, these candles could no longer be described merely as “expensive.”

They were scarce.

Absurdly scarce.

The entire royal family received only twelve of them each year.

And tonight, eight had been lit at once upon the chandelier.

An extravagance beyond reason.

A faint elegant fragrance gradually spread through every corner of the room as the eight candles flickered. Rumor claimed the scent could even cure illness and prolong life itself. Those fortunate enough to stand nearby secretly breathed in deeply, unwilling to waste even the slightest trace of it.

And these candles were merely one small reflection of the lavish banquet soon to begin.

Pure silver tableware.

Gold-threaded silk tablecloths.

Crystal wine glasses.

Paintings created by a master artist centuries ago.

Even the fireplace used to regulate the room’s temperature burned charcoal specially refined from an extremely rare type of wood.

Furniture made from that wood could fetch hundreds of thousands on the open market.

Yet here, the wood itself was unworthy of appearing directly. Only charcoal refined from it possessed even the slightest value.

Everything here followed the same principle.

Not the best—

only the most expensive.

Because only something expensive could demonstrate value to that person.

Only then could that person... see their sincerity.

“Everything is for the future of the Kingdom. Sacrifices of this level are necessary.”

The charcoal burned soundlessly within the fireplace, producing neither smoke nor odor. Yet every flicker between glowing crimson and fading gray felt like a knife twisting through Marquis Nick’s heart.

The wood had been supplied by him.

All of it had come from his private collection of treasured furniture.

For example, what was burning right now was probably the desk upon which he had once planned the financial logistics of the entire Kingdom.

Not long ago, as he watched those treasured possessions consumed by flames, he had genuinely felt as though he had died a second time.

As for why it was a “second” time—

even he wasn’t entirely sure.

The frontline’s inexplicable collapse.

The Imperial army’s inexplicable arrival before the royal capital.

And then...

they had somehow entered the city.

It felt as though an entire stretch of reality had simply been cut away, leaving everything incomprehensible. During that period, he and several other ministers had suddenly been placed under house arrest by the old King, leaving them with extremely limited access to information.

Only after regaining a degree of freedom had they finally pieced together enough intelligence to learn that the self-proclaimed wise ruler himself... had colluded with the Salvation Society and caused all of this.

The irony was almost laughable.

As the minister responsible for the Kingdom’s financial operations and wartime logistics, he had been completely kept in the dark by that old bastard. Clearly, the King had never truly trusted him.

But in a way, it was fortunate.

Precisely because of that ignorance, he had avoided being purged by the Church for colluding with the Salvation Society. And so he could still stand here now, representing both the Kingdom and House Nick, negotiating with the ruler of the Empire.

Yes.

Negotiating.

That was the true purpose of tonight.

The banquet had been personally organized by the Empire’s ruler. Every guest invited was one of the city’s highest-ranking noble representatives—the very foundation of the Kingdom itself, figures capable of influencing the future direction of the entire nation.

The meaning behind this banquet was self-evident.

Because long before the banquet had even begun—

they had already begun moving.

Calling in favors.

Mobilizing hidden connections.

Contacting one another in secret.

Though the banquet came from the Empire ruler’s invitation, the details and arrangements had all been proactively handled by them. The expensive decorations, the carefully polished atmosphere, every extravagant detail—

all of it came from their own hands.

They understood clearly that while the banquet itself was the primary battlefield of this “war,” the conditions that would determine victory or defeat had already begun taking shape beforehand.

More importantly—

they still considered themselves the masters of this Kingdom.

That Empress was merely a guest.

The Kingdom had lost the war of swords and soldiers—

but through this banquet, they intended to prove to the Empress that...

the Kingdom’s prestige still remained!

That old King had lost.

They had not.

“Is everything prepared?”

Marquis Nick checked the time on his pocket watch before speaking gravely to the others nearby.

“There cannot be the slightest mistake in tonight’s affair.”

“You don’t need to remind us of something so obvious.”

Across from him, an elderly man tapped his cane lightly against the floor.

He was Grand Duke Tebokri, cousin to the King—

or rather, the former King now.

When Saint Peron V ascended the throne, he had slaughtered most of his brothers from the same generation. Yet relatives from his mother’s side had instead risen to prominence, and Grand Duke Tebokri had been the most outstanding among them.

One could say that in this Kingdom now left without a King, he possessed the highest authority and status.

“I was merely reminding everyone.”

Naturally, Marquis Nick did not dare act arrogantly before the Grand Duke. After bowing slightly, his gaze shifted toward the others whose status ranked below his own.

Count Harlet.

Count Carter.

Viscount Flaresy.

And the rest.

He had watched that old bastard personally elevate these people one by one. Because of that, he understood better than anyone exactly what sort of creatures they were.

They needed to be tightly controlled.

Otherwise, they would easily ruin everything.

Yet while remaining wary of them, Marquis Nick felt oddly comforted seeing the same undisguised pain on their faces.

If everyone was cutting flesh from their own bodies together, it certainly felt better than suffering alone.

Though speaking of which...

the fact these people could produce so many priceless treasures themselves proved they had each embezzled quite a lot in the past.

No wonder such a vast Kingdom had declined into this miserable state.

With parasites like these infesting it, how could it possibly avoid decay?

Marquis Nick temporarily suppressed those thoughts.

Regardless, these people were now his allies.

Useful tools.

“Relax. We understand our limits.”

Count Harlet nodded coldly.

Before this, he had overseen the entire Kingdom’s internal security and had earned titles like Butcher and Executioner. Naturally, such a “small scene” would not shake him in the slightest.

The others all nodded as well, expressing their determination.

No matter what factions, selfish ambitions, or conflicts of interest they had once possessed—

at this moment, all of it had been cast aside.

Their goal was now only one thing.

The future of the Kingdom.