ushernet 325. Quest Based Succession
325. Quest Based Succession
[ Reputation System v2.0 ]User: Ravenna Solarius / Joy Cha Kim
Reputation Level: 91↑ — (203,335 / 1,010,000 EXP)↑
Current Reputation Points: 39,420 RP↑
Titles Unlocked: Raven of the Sun Palace, Unruly Princess, Beast Slayer
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“My points took a massive jump thanks to the news of the attempt on my life spreading like wildfire,” Ravenna muttered. She was propped up in her bed, the deep shadows of night finally enveloping the Imperial Palace.
She pulled out the documents outlining the proposed new succession process, as dictated by the final decree of Emperor Andrew, and began to review them under the dim glow of a magiclamp.
“The High Nobles have been bickering about this for nearly a week now. It’s clear they won't pick up the pace; it’s going to take just as long as it did in the original novel for it to pass that it took them to turn it down,” Ravenna sighed, checking her point balance one more time.
“A quest-based succession system,” she said, simplifying the dense legal jargon. “The requirements for how the quests are set, the alternative paths, how they shall be overseen... it’s all incredibly complex. But the core idea is simple: a task of extreme difficulty will be presented to all the candidates. The first one to complete it claims the throne.”
It was exactly as it had been in the novel, but Ravenna knew her intervention had shifted the board. “The plan should still work out,” she whispered with a smirk. “But it will take at least half a year before this law is actually passed, given the glacial speed at which the Imperial Court operates.”
She tapped her forehead and sighed again, reaching for a glass of water on the bedside table. “I need to head back to Kim City before another attempt happens. The Capital is far too volatile right now.”
Setting the glass down, she picked up the report regarding the assassination attempt. “I need to look deeper into that explosive spell. If I consider the possibility that the assassin was from the Roland Dukedom, given how adamant Rexford was back in the Academy days that the attack was targeted at him...”
She paused, her mind connecting the dots. “If it’s truly Duke Roland, then William must be the architect. The Roland family has always been the cornerstone of William’s faction.”
She looked out the window at the distant, silhouetted towers of the city. “Eugene must have turned his back on William the moment he read the new succession decree. Since Eugene’s ultimate goal is preventing the resurrection of the Absolute Being, he would naturally welcome a path that involves less civil war and bloodshed.”
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“William, on the other hand...” Her eyes hardened. “He must have decided to remove the competition here and now. All of the siblings are present in the Capital for the funeral. If he kills us before the new law is officially ratified, he’ll be the only one left to take the crown by default.”
Exhaustion finally began to pull at her. She put the papers down on the nightstand and pulled the covers up, her thoughts drifting as sleep took hold.
Dinning Room, Lord’s Castle, Kim City, Kim Island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire
“I still don’t understand how this new law favors us,” Marie admitted, looking at Rexford as everyone sat around the large mahogany dining table. Rexford took a slow sip of his wine before slicing into a piece of steak. The room was quiet, filled only with the soft clinking of silver against porcelain, until Marie’s question broke the silence.
Laila, sitting across from her, wiped her mouth with a silk napkin, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “It’s a brilliant piece of theater, Marie. It’s a plan designed to make it look like Her Highness is taking the throne through natural process rather than just raw power.”
“Let’s test your political intuition, Lady Marie,” Aurora interjected, leaning forward. “If you were tasked with creating a brand-new succession law for a fractured empire, what systems would you consider?”
Marie thought for a moment, her brow furrowing. “I suppose I’d look at foreign models. Maybe Foster Liam’s method of democratic universal voting? Or perhaps the Conley Empire’s ‘Noble’s Showcase’?”
“Those are logical choices, but they would be dead on arrival in the Sun Palace,” Laila explained. “The Ancorna Empire has followed the ‘Golden Silkworm’ tradition for centuries, a brutal system where the strongest simply devours the weak. A democratic vote by commoners and nobles, like in Foster Liam, is unthinkable to our aristocracy.”
“And the Conley method, where the high nobles vote after a series of debates gives the nobility far too much leverage over the Imperial family,” Alice added. She shrugged as she began serving small plates of delicate tarts for dessert. “The Emperor would never sign away that much power to the dukes and counts.”
“So, the Emperor chose a middle ground,” Marie said, the realization dawning on her. “He created a system that looks like the old trials but adds restrictions to prevent an all-out civil war.”
“Exactly,” Laila replied, taking a small bite of her cake. “It’s a system no one can argue against. It leaves the final judgment in the ‘Goddess’s hands’ through these quests just like Golden Slikworm, which satisfies the traditionalists, but it keeps the candidates from burning the entire country down in the process every generation.”
“But... why did Master go so far out of her way to ensure this specific law passed? She went as far as helping her father staging his death…” Marie asked the question that had been nagging at her. “She keeps saying we have the advantage. How? If the quest is the same for everyone, isn't the playing field level?”
Rexford let out a low, amused chuckle. He reached over and gently patted Marie’s head, his expression softening with a hint of a fatherly pride.
“Let me tell you what’s been happening in the shadows, Lady Marie,” Rexford said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “And how the pieces are being moved to ensure the board is tilted in Her Highness’s favor long before the race even begins.”