The next morning, throughout the capital—no, throughout the entire empire—a rumor began to spread like wildfire. "The Malevolent Emperor's specter has descended upon the royal family!" "The dark history from fifty years ago nearly came to pass once again—but this time, it ended differently!" "The entire empire, including the royal family, joined forces to drive out the Malevolent Emperor! And at the center of it all, as expected, stood the Ducal Family of Leston!" "The shadow of war looms over the empire. Is the era of peace over?" "The great Halo Leston, the great Caron Leston!" "Grandfather and grandson save the empire once again!" Every newspaper in the capital issued an extra edition at once, and the news spread with incredible speed. The incident could have easily been reported as a failure solely on the part of the royal family. But the Ducal Family of Leston chose not to take that path. They willingly gave up the chance to claim all the credit, instead issuing statements that emphasized how everyone had stood together to overcome the crisis. As a result, the rest of the royal family, other than the Crown Prince, managed to escape the brunt of public criticism. Additionally, most noble factions, excluding the Diaz faction, avoided significant political damage. All the blame was concentrated on two targets: The Crown Prince and the Diaz faction. It was a monumental event that shook the empire to its core. The spark Caron had launched became a meteor, now blazing its way across the empire. And yet, the one who had set the whole disaster in motion was nonchalantly snacking on a cookie as he watched a meeting unfold within the banquet hall of the Imperial Palace. "Watching things burn is always the most fun," Caron said. The meeting wasn't being led by the emperor, but by Revelio. It had also been his idea to hold the meeting in the banquet hall instead of a more appropriate venue. Gathered there were the true powerhouses of the empire—most notably the Dukes of Leston and Salmon, along with their noble allies and factions. Even the Imperial Ministers were in attendance. Given that the Malevolent Emperor had toyed with the royal family and that the Crown Prince had died as a result, the atmosphere was understandably grim. For Revelio, it was likely the first time he had faced such a tense room. But he didn't appear the least bit intimidated. In fact, he said with his usual cheerful ease, "Well then, since we've gathered all our very busy nobles, let's go ahead and begin the meeting. This is my first time leading, so please forgive me if I slip up a bit." Revelio took control of the room with practiced charm. On top of that, he had been promised the position of Crown Prince by the emperor himself. More importantly, behind him stood the undisputed heroes of the hour—the Ducal Family of Leston. No one dared take him lightly now. "Today's meeting is about the future of our empire. As you all know, the Malevolent Emperor reappeared within the Imperial Palace. If it hadn't been for our hero, Caron Leston, we might have witnessed a repeat of that ancient tragedy," Revelio said. He gestured toward Caron, and every noble in the room turned to look at the latter. Caught off guard by the sudden attention, Caron quickly withdrew his hand from his pocket and gave them all a bright wave. "Good morning, everyone." "A round of applause for our hero, if you please," Revelio said. As Revelio clapped, the rest of the nobles followed suit. Revelio looked at Caron with great satisfaction. The latter was his strongest shield. Revelio wondered if he would even be in this position now if he hadn't met Caron. I should get everything I can out of it, Revelio thought. After all, Caron would surely come up with some excuse or another and start draining the palace of its sweet benefits. There were plenty of things owned by the royal family that someone like Caron would covet. And if Caron was going to stick his fingers in, then Revelio figured he might as well do the same. "Caron, who is like a sworn brother to me, was willing to lay down his life for the empire. Isn't that right, everyone?" Revelio continued. He was emphasizing the name of Caron Leston—and behind it, the monstrous power of the Ducal Family of Leston. Anyone with a bit of sense would already have figured out what Revelio was after. And without that level of awareness, none of them would have been allowed in that room in the first place. "Now then, shall we move on to the main agenda?" Revelio continued. Having firmly established control of the meeting, he dove straight into the core issue. "Marquis Diaz and all the nobles affiliated with him will be arrested and thoroughly investigated. If we find even the slightest connection to the recent incident, they will be punished without exception. Oh, and this wasn't my decision—it came directly from His Majesty the emperor." In other words, the central faction of Marquis Diaz was about to be wiped out. The rest of the noble class welcomed this with open arms. After all, it meant the elimination of a powerful competitor. But that was where the real problems began. If the Diaz faction was removed, the positions they once held would become vacant. There would be a power vacuum, and naturally, someone would have to fill that void. The Diaz faction had long focused its strength on the financial and military arms of the empire, so the positions that opened up would wield considerable power. Inside the banquet hall, the nobles' minds were already whirring at full speed, especially those aligned with Duke Salmon. They were all quietly watching and waiting for their chance. "The Ducal Family of Leston isn't going to take everything." "Duke Salmon even said the Ducal Family of Leston was going to toss some crumbs our way..." "It's only natural for the Ducal Family of Leston to hold the reins of the empire, but we've got to make sure we secure our share, too." Since the Ducal Family of Leston had once again been the key player in resolving the crisis, it was expected that they would claim most of the real power. However, knowing Duke Halo's nature, it didn't seem likely he would monopolize every position. Just as the nobles were busy calculating what portion of the spoils they could secure for themselves, Revelio said in a smooth, composed voice, "We're currently arranging appointments to fill the now-vacant positions." This was where things truly began. Revelio gave a sly grin as he looked around at the assembled nobles before continuing, "His Majesty the emperor has made one important request ahead of these appointments. This time, social status will not be considered. Only merit will be evaluated. The goal is to place the most qualified individuals in the right roles, regardless of their origin." A wave of shock rippled through the room. "...Did he just say...?" "Did we mishear him?" Whispers and murmurs broke out among the nobles, excluding those from the Ducal Family of Leston. But Revelio continued without missing a beat, "There are several common-born officials already working in public institutions who've shown impressive results. If our goal is the empire's prosperity, then does it really matter where someone came from?" It was a reform. And not just any reform—it promised swift, sweeping change. As always, chaos served as the perfect catalyst. Revelio had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by. The word "commoners" finally stirred the silent Duke Salmon into speaking. He asked, "Is that truly His Majesty's will?" "Yes, it is," Revelio replied. "Take the example of Thebe. This future has always been coming—we're simply facing it now." A noble behind Duke Salmon raised his voice, protesting, "Prince Revelio, commoners do not understand honor. If such people are allowed to govern..." "My mother was a commoner," Revelio said, his tone sharpening. "So are you saying I know nothing of honor?" As he spoke, he glanced at Caron. The young man let out a soft chuckle and raised his hand, saying, "My maternal grandfather is a commoner, too." "Th-This is a different matter entirely—" the noble began, but was cut off by Caron. "Oh, I see. So now you're insulting my grandfather, calling him dishonorable? I can tolerate insults directed at me, but not toward my family," Caron said. Caron partially drew Guillotine, and the color drained from several nobles' faces. "Caron. This is a sacred setting. Restrain yourself," Halo said in a firm voice. Caron exhaled quietly and gave a small nod, then said, "Apologies. I lost my temper for a second." "I understand your feelings," Halo said gently. "But this is not your fight to take up." He slowly rose from his seat, his presence weighing down the room, then said, "If anyone has objections, speak now." His words silenced the nobles completely. "It's been over thirty years since commoners were allowed to attend the Imperial Academy. And yet, your minds remain shackled to the past. The Malevolent Emperor has returned. He's declared war on the empire. Should the empire fall, what meaning will 'status' have?" Halo continued. The nobles fell quiet, realizing that the Ducal Family of Leston fully supported the reform. And if House Leston backed it, there was no grounds on which to oppose it. For them to continue resisting would only earn the wrath of the people—and ultimately, it would cost them everything. "I expect you all to choose wisely," Halo said before returning to his seat. He gave Revelio a small nod. Revelio, who had clearly been waiting for this moment, smiled broadly and said, "Thank you for those wise words, Duke Halo. Now then, let us take a moment to hear your opinions. If anyone opposes the upcoming appointments, please raise your hand." Naturally, not a single hand was raised. Revelio nodded in satisfaction, then said, "I knew I could count on the wisdom in this room. You've all lived up to my expectations. Let's continue to work together for this new era. Haha!" Revelio winked at Caron as he delivered the line with his usual shameless charm. At that moment, none of the nobles realized who had already been chosen as the next Minister of Finance—the heart of the empire. I'll squeeze every last drop out of them, Caron thought with a wicked smile. That was because the man chosen for the position was none other than his maternal grandfather, Gyle. "Well then, let's move on to the next item... I'd like to discuss the nobles' excessive tax exemptions..." Revelio continued. And so began the "Banquet Hall Meeting" that would later be remembered as the moment that changed the empire's future. Caron popped another cookie from his pouch of dimensional space into his mouth, then sat back to enjoy Revelio's spectacular one-man show. The meeting dragged on for a grueling four hours, and as soon as it was over, Caron returned to his assigned quarters. The very first thing he did upon arriving was to share the joyous news with his grandfather. "Congratulations, Grandpa! You're the new Minister of Finance now, aren't you?" "You little rascal! I was planning to retire! I wanted to go on a trip, and finally see the world a bit!" Gyle replied. "Hehe, you sound pretty happy to me. It's okay to be honest sometimes, you know," Caron said. "I mean it! Oh my... I just finished planning a trip to the Southern Great Forest yesterday! And what is this?" Gyle asked. "Oh, Grandpa, I'll call you back later! His Highness the Crown Prince just showed up!" Caron said enthusiastically. He quickly wrapped up the call and cut the connection, then turned to greet Revelio with a bright smile. "Welcome, Crown Prince. You were on fire back at the banquet hall." "All thanks to you," Revelio said with a grin. "Did you see the looks on those noble bastards' faces?" "It was priceless," Caron said. "The world has changed," Revelio continued, settling into a chair and pouring himself a glass of water. "The education level of the commoners has risen a lot. There's real talent among them. We can't keep putting limits on people just because of their birth. The nobles need to change too." It was hardly the kind of thing one expected to hear from a crown prince. "Just look at Thebe," Revelio added. "So many capable people. We can't afford to let talent rot." "At this rate, you'll end up handing the entire royal family over to the commoners," Caron teased. "Maybe someday that's exactly what will happen," Revelio replied. Revelio was, without a doubt, an unusual man. A world without the royal family—Caron didn't know if it was his previous life's memories talking, but it didn't sound like such a bad idea. Caron nodded thoughtfully and took a seat across from Revelio before asking, "So, did you bring it?" Revelio smirked slyly and reached into his pocket, then answered, "Of course I did." What emerged was a key, engraved with powerful protective magic. It gleamed gold, with a high-grade mana stone embedded in its center. "This is the key to the imperial treasury," Revelio said. "Did the emperor give it to you?" Caron asked. "My father doesn't trust me that much yet," Revelio answered. "...Then how did you get it?" Caron asked. "I snatched it when I visited his chambers. I'm going to inherit it anyway, so what's the harm in getting a head start?" Revelio replied. In terms of madness, Revelio could hold his own against Caron. Caron nodded in admiration at Revellio's reasoning, then said, "You really are insane." "Thanks for the compliment," Revelio said, chuckling. He clutched the key tightly and looked Caron in the eye. Then, in a quiet voice, he asked, "But why do you need to go into the treasury?" "There's something I need to do before heading to the Holy Kingdom," Caron answered. "Thought I'd see if I could get a bit of help." The imperial treasury housed all sorts of rare and invaluable items—priceless elixirs, treasured sword manuals, and more. Back when Caron had been Cain Latorre under the Malevolent Emperor's command, he'd been there a few times. And now, he needed those elixirs and manuals. Though his mana had reached 8-Star, his swordsmanship still lagged behind. He needed to create a unique technique—a signature move that could channel that immense power. Caron couldn't afford to head to the Holy Kingdom unprepared, because no one knew what kind of threats awaited him there. "I'm planning to raid your family's vault," he said plainly. "That's fine, right?" "...Ah, that's... We should probably ask Father for—" Revelio began, but was cut off by Caron. "Didn't you say it'll be yours anyway? Just hand it over. Let's go now. Sun's about to set—perfect time to move," Caron said. The major incident had been resolved. Now it was time to reap the rewards. Caron had every intention of milking the Imperial Palace dry using this golden opportunity. "I even brought masks for us," Caron added. "...Why the masks?" Revelio asked. "If we're going to steal stuff, obviously we need black masks. Don't you know anything?" Caron answered. And so, the Mad Dog and the unfilial prince became thieves. They broke into the imperial treasury.