Ball of Nothing

Duke Connie slammed the desk and flung his wine glass all the way across the room when he heard the report from his spy. His spineless brother has finally shown his claws.

"Leave," he growled at the spy who nodded and jumped out of the window.

Brice that sly bastard... Duke Connie walked over to the window to gaze at the night sky. He didn't think that the wimp would finally man up and take action. Duke Zurich was ruined after Grey Legion abandoned him. Without the magicians backing that old man, there was nothing stopping Duke Connie from ascending the throne if he truly wished for it. Altear would back him up, they promised to send their best elven fighters for the attack.

Who would have thought that Misana's return would send everything out of control?

First, it was his trade with the dwarves. For some reason, Rocket Mountain refused to supply him with any of their goods. Duke Connie didn't understand why they would cut off trade with him. After all, he paid better prices for the things he bought than anyone else. As the owner of the largest merchant guild in Smargdas and possibly one of the wealthiest, Duke Connie made sure to treat his business partners right for a friendly trading relationship. He hated damaging future business opportunities more than marginal profit lines. The duke never once mistreated his dwarven partners so why were they cutting connections with him?

The next thing that affected Duke Connie was the reluctance from the mercenaries and adventurers to take up his newest guild request. Initially, he wanted to hire as many adventurers and mercenaries as he could to beef his armed forces for the castle siege. It wouldn't be difficult for him to take over the castle and force his brother to surrender the crown if he had the help of experienced fighters, in particular, mages. His private army wouldn't be able to breach the natural castle defences even if they had the numbers to overpower the pathetic royal guards.

He couldn't understand why none of the adventurers and mercenaries was keen to take on the job until he told his spies to gather information and investigate. The reward was attractive enough. Who wouldn't like gold and citizenship? He even promised top contributors a noble title. Surely there would be many who would be interested in lending him their expertise.

The spies returned after a short investigation. Nobody was keen to take up Duke Connie's request as there were rumours spreading everywhere saying the Dragon Heroes are returning to join the upcoming war with Altear. He didn't know who leaked the news about the Holy Magician Alliance's abolishment but it was said that the treaty was rendered invalid by U.N.U. due to violation of the non-aggression clause. Someone claimed that the alliance broke down because U.N.U. bought elven slaves and used citizens from Smargdas for inhumane necromancy experiments. Others said that it was Duke Connie's greed and starting the slavery business which got them into this mess. Nobody knew the truth but Duke Connie was now the main subject of controversy. Some said that he was responsible for the treaty's failure and others believed that he was simply a victim of unfortunate events. Regardless, everyone erred on the cautious side and refused to have any dealings with him if they could.

To add further insult to the injury, Altear called off the support they were going to give. The elves suddenly sang to a different tune for unknown reasons and no matter how much Duke Connie tried to reach out to them. It was as if they've retreated back into the cover of the Great Forest and disappeared from the world again. It hadn't been easy to coax the elves from hiding to work with him. Duke Connie invested a lot to bribe them and please them but what did he get in return?

Fuming, the duke swore that he would take his brother down no matter what. Both of them had equal opportunities to the throne. He was obviously the more capable choice. Given his accomplishments over the years to improve the economy and interests of this country, he was a better candidate as the King. However, his father must have been blind to select his younger brother as the next ruler in his will. The royal butler who served the late King ensured that the will wasn't tampered with and remained loyal to his father until death. If it weren't because of the butler's meddling and his father's will, Brice would never ascend the throne. Duke Connie would have taken his royal uncle out easily and ruled the country instead. He wouldn't need that dumb alliance if he had been crowned in the first place.

Lately, Brice had gotten ballsy. While he was busy fighting the fire in his territory, his cunning brother had been growing his allies and power. Duke Connie hadn't figured out which powerful family was backing Brice's actions but he didn't have time to investigate. The one good news from the chaos was Duke Zurich's fall. His faction was completely annihilated by his brother and now, there were no other distractions.

For someone who spent all his time hiding in his miserable castle, Brice was very good at sneak attacks. Duke Connie previously thought that his younger brother was dumb but now, he knew better and retracted that thought back. Brice wasn't dumb, he was only playing the fool in order to prepare for this day. However, King Brice was forgetting one crucial thing - the world didn't necessarily revolve only around law and order.

That brilliant move to turn the tables on the nobles was annoying. A public announcement by the King cannot be ignored. The nobles won't be able to wiggle their way out of it if King Brice stood by the side of the peasants and commoners. Too many eyes would be on them and even if Duke Connie wanted to launch a siege on the castle, it would be difficult.

Yet, this was also a golden opportunity presenting itself. With King Brice lured from the well-guarded castle, they didn't need to spend too much effort trying to get inside. Instead, Duke Connie would hire a few good snipers. Assassinating the king in front of the crowd would work in his favour either way.

If his younger brother didn't die, Duke Connie could seize the chance to claim back the power in the name of assisting the royal family with their duties while coveting the position. If Brice died, that would be for the best. He didn't have to dirty his hands with the siege. In fact, with no better candidates left, the crown would be as good as his.

The sky was still dark but Duke Connie didn't want to wait. With a bell, he summoned his trusted aide to gather up some highly-skilled hitmen for the job.