"You may all sit." Alexander ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty." They chorused.
Once everyone was seated, the High Chancellor, Jordan Thorn cleared his throat and stood.
"The first matter on today's agenda concerns the Six-Seven Gang. I would like to hear everyone's opinions."
Once High Chancellor Thorn mentioned the gang incident, the expressions of every member of the council instantly turned serious.
The gang itself was not an issue, all of them knew they could have taken care of it if they ever affected their interest.
However, a lot of them gained benefits from the gangs so they simply turned a blind eye to everything occurring.
The issue was the death of several Intermediate ranked beings without so much as a fight which was confirmed with a simple check which was an issue since a lot of the council members were at Intermediate rank themselves.
Not to mention the death of the Reus Patriarch's grandson.
One of the council members broke the silence. His voice was filled with disdain.
"I, for one, believe that those gang scum received exactly what they deserved. Everyone here knows the extent of their crimes over the years. Surely none of us can deny it."
The council man turned to High Chancellor Thorn, "High Chancellor, I suggest that we issue a formal statement to the public. Thanking those responsible for cleansing the empire of these vermin!"
This speaker was definitely a part of the loyalist faction although Alexander never bothered to learn his name.
After speaking, he smiled faintly and glanced towards another member seated not far away as he sat down.
The other council member smiled as well as he immediately stood up and said,
"I believe we should capitalise on it and put out a bounty on the other gangs to remove this problem once and for all."
Count Thompson stood up after him, "I think we should do so however even if we do, how do we pay?"
"I don't think that is the right process, even if we do have coin to do so is it not better to funnel it into our police force and have them do the job?" Marques Jex Orwick countered.
"Same job they have been doing till now?" Marquess Melody Ravon took a jab at Earl George Campbell.
"We haven't spoken about the death of Scott Reus… His family is a major trader in the capital and even the entire region of the Central Imperium." Marques Rufus Quill quipped in breaking the confrontation between the Loyalist Faction and Police Faction.
"Indeed, how do we placate the Reus Family, not to mention convince the other trader that they are safe with us?" Baron Elijah Davenport asked.
"Indeed." A lot of the council members agreed.
The empire owed some of this major traders' money, so if they decided to leave, they would most definitively demand payment, and the treasury would have to be emptied.
Marques Percy Walford nodded and proposed, "Your Majesty, in these recent years, we have seen the rise of various gangs. Some of the gangs have grown to arrogant that they dare to murder administrative members and even nobles."
"I believe it is imperative that we deploy the army at once to eradicate them completely." Marquess Percy continued.
His tone was steady, his argument seemingly flawless. Anyone unfamiliar with him might easily have mistaken him for a loyal minister concerned solely for the empire's safety.
However, people who knew him knew he was trying to seize power, by allowing him to move the armies from their fortress into the cities, power would inevitably fall to him since most of the military generals were loyal to him.
Immediately the High Chancellor rose and disagreed.
"Your Majesty, I must disagree with the Grand Marshal. Merely exterminating gang members would treat only the symptoms, not the disease. These gangs are born from administrative neglect."
"They thrive because people are left idle, with no means of survival. I believe the solution lies in governance. We should create more posts, more opportunities, so that the idle masses may find honest work." He continued.
"We don't have the money." Marques Rufus Quill countered.
Almost on cue, an Imperial Guard entered the hall and knelt.
"Your Majesty, the Reus Patriarch has arrived. He is requesting an audi…"
The doors burst open.
"I am here to demand compensation for the death of my grandson!"
Paul Reus stormed into the hall, his voice echoing across the chamber.
The guard froze mid-sentence as Paul advanced several steps inside without permission.
The guard instinctively drew his sword and turned on him.
Unease rippled through the council because not only had Paul Reus ignored protocol, but he had also not even offered a greeting to the Emperor before shouting his accusation.
More guards rushed in, weapons drawn, but before they could act, Alexander raised a hand.
"Wait outside." Alexander ordered calmly.
The guards hesitated for only a moment before bowing and withdrawing, closing the doors behind them.
"You bastard," Paul roared, pointing directly at the throne. "You had my beloved grandson killed!"
The hall went deathly still.
Every face turned toward Paul in disbelief. Accusations were one thing. Insults were another. But to curse the Emperor to his face?
'Something was wrong.' Most member of the council thought this at the same time.
Paul Reus was known throughout the capital as a shrewd, calculating man.
Even if he had proof, he should have known better than to act like this.
"Paul," Earl George Campbell said quickly, stepping forward. "Calm yourself. Let us discuss this rationally."
"Shut the fuck up," Paul snapped, not even looking at him. He turned to the throne again. "I know you did it, you worthless excuse for an emperor."
Count Luke Thompson's eyes widened for just a moment before his expression returned to normal, thankfully everyone was in shock, so it went mostly unnoticed.
He slowly put two and two together and soon realised what was most likely happening.
Last night, Captain Victor had personally requested a large quantity of rage-inducing powder from the treasury.
The substance was normally used to provoke magical beasts, flooding them with aggression and stripping away caution making them easier to kill.
On humans, its effects were weak and short-lived, even when inhaled, it cleared quickly.
On an Expert-ranked individual like Paul Reus, it should have been nearly useless in small amounts.
'But how?'
What Thompson could not see was Alfred, standing quietly beside Paul, releasing faint puffs of powder into the air at precise moments, just as the effects began to fade.
Under normal circumstances, Paul would have noticed something was wrong.
But several factors worked against him.
First, his grandson's death had already left him furious and when Argus Giant Eyes delivered the news, that fury exploded.
Second, Alfred had begun dosing him immediately, keeping his rage constantly stoked.
Not only had Paul not slept but he had spent the entire night destroying furniture, screaming at servants, drowning in his own anger.
Third he had been breathing the powder for hours, even the air inside his carriage had been saturated.
Alexander watched him carefully and for the briefest moment, a faint smile appeared on his lips before vanishing.
However, he knew he could not be allowed to drag on.
"What makes you think I did it?" Alexander asked calmly. "Take a breath. Think."
"I know you did," Paul spat. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"It seems so," Alexander replied evenly. "And even if I had killed your grandson, what exactly do you think you could do about it?"
Paul's vision narrowed.
"YOU!!!" He shouted as he drew his sword and charged at Alexander.
Shock froze almost everyone in the room, causing them to react late.
Paul barely made it three steps up the stairs before Victor's blade appeared. His sword was knocked from his hand, clattering across the floor and a second later, Victor slammed him down headfirst, cracking his skull against the steps.
The hall erupted in gasps.
Alexander rose from the throne.
"High Chancellor," he asked calmly, "what is the punishment for treason?"
Marquess Jordan Thorn who was still stunned, rose and answered.
"Death, Your Majesty."
Alexander nodded and turned slightly to Victor.
"Victor. Execute him."
"Your Maj…"
Before anyone could make a plea for him, Victor's blade fell.
Paul Reus's head rolled down the steps and across the floor.
Alexander did not look away, ignoring the notification that popped up.
"Spread the word," he said. "The Reus Family has committed treason. Execute them all and seize their assets in full."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Earl Campbell shouted eagerly, already rising from his seat, his eyes gleaming at the thought of spoils not even concerned about the death of his friend.
Alexander turned his gaze to him.
"I wasn't talking to you."