Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part Two]

CHAPTER 251: The Absolution Guild

I anticipated retaliation," she said, her hands clasped in front of her. "Slander. Doubt. Division. The Mhaledictus are masters of propaganda. That is why the Archmage—who many of you have noticed has remained sealed away in her tower—refuses to step forward. She fears what they will do to her if she dares speak out."

A stunned hush lingered—only broken when her eyes settled on Cassius. "And since you have asked for proof, Grand Chancellor, I intend to provide it. I will entrust this task to those with the best means of uncovering what lies buried beneath our gilded floors." She turned slowly, facing the court. "Yes... I speak of the Absolution Guild."

A wave of horror swept the room. Several nobles stiffened, some gasped outright. The color drained from many faces. Whispers broke out like wildfire.

"The Absolution Guild? Here?"

"But they're mercenaries!"

"This will tear the court apart..."

"She's mad... or brilliant."

Absolution was the name of a notorious Assassins' Guild, feared across the underworld for its efficiency in uprooting corruption and ruthlessly executing or imprisoning aristocrats proven guilty of treason—all without bias.

The catch, however, was that only a sovereign could employ their services, and only after presenting hard evidence of an insurrection. Hiring them came at an enormous cost—so steep that even when a kingdom succeeded in purging corruption, it often never recovered financially and eventually collapsed.

Worse still, the guild itself couldn't be fully trusted. If given the chance, they might seize the throne for themselves, bleed the kingdom dry, then sell off the land. Or worse, sell the realm's secrets to foreign powers.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Hadrian remarked, his eyes hopeful. "But with the king bedridden, how exactly did you manage to commission a dark guild like Absolution? Such an action requires the sovereign's authority, does it not?"

"And if I may add, Your Grace," Leontius began, "those mercenaries don't come cheap. Where did you procure the coin? The royal coffers are stretched thin enough as it is."

"Indeed," Sylas agreed, "with war preparations looming and the supply crisis worsening by the week, the treasury is barely holding. So how, Princess, are we funding this endeavor?"

The hall grew tense once more. All eyes turned to Lumielle. "Whoever has been poisoning the king," she informed calmly, "has likely noticed that his strength has slowly begun to return."

Gasps erupted.

Vaerythos snarled, his hands clenched at his sides.

"That's because the king, while still on the mend, was the one who commissioned the Absolution Guild." She let the words sink in before adding. "As for the gold—my dear friend, Lady Sophia Lorraine Everwinter, graciously offered her support."

"Sophia?" Lucien echoed, scanning the crowd for the woman. "I don't recall any noble house of notable standing bearing that name."

"That's because her family only recently rose to prominence after discovering a rich vein of Orichalcum Ore beneath their lands." Lumielle raised her chin slightly. "But instead of clamoring for courtly titles or political clout, they chose to invest quietly—building their wealth, not flaunting it. When I confided in her, she didn't hesitate to act. She understood what was at stake."

A stunned murmur rippled through the crowd, and for the first time, unease shifted into reluctant consideration.

"Do you understand what you've done?" Vaerythos scoffed, his voice carrying a simmering growl. "That guild is as infamous for toppling kingdoms as it is for removing threats. If they see weakness, they will exploit it. And you would risk our realm on a whim?"

"I must concur," Cassius interjected. "We cannot afford to be rash. There should be a proper council convened to assess your claims without the need for such drastic, irreversible measures."

Lumielle didn't so much as glance their way. Her voice rang clear and unyielding across the chamber. "This is not a whim. This is a reckoning." Her eyes narrowed. "And it is already done."

A gasp spilled through the court.

"I would not have taken this path had I not been certain. I know who drugged the king—and justice will come for them soon enough." Her eyes swept the room, unblinking. "But our priority must be the shadow behind the curtain—the mastermind who spreads the Mhaledictus' rot across our court. To those who have resisted, I implore you: stay strong. Keep resisting."

She exhaled softly.

"And to those who've already conformed, I urge you to come forward. Stand with me. Help me bring an end to this chaos before it swallows us whole." She raised her chin. "The guild has been commissioned. Judgment is coming. You may resist and fall..." She paused. "...Or you may confess and be spared."

The silence that followed was absolute.