Chapter 207: The Royal Catfolk Arrested

It was beginning to get light. The streets of Varghelm were quiet. However, there was no denying the damage done to the city. Buildings, roads and merchant houses were all ruined and workers were already starting to clear up the wreckage, under the watchful eye of the Wolf Crown. The golden wall surrounding the city was still active, meaning no one could leave. It appeared that whoever had made it had no intentions of removing it anytime soon.

Tanaka was walking towards the royal home of the Wolf Crown, with Raishin and Raizen. In between them was Rhyss Varnclaw. The Catfolk assassin had been restrained and his mana channels suppressed to ensure he couldn’t try to escape. His face looked much worse than it had during the interrogation. He was realising that the person he had served for years may leave him behind. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

King Aldren Greymane was already awake. The Wolf King had been reading up on reports regarding the rebuilding and investigation throughout the remainder of the night. While his body had been restored due to his resurrection, he still remembered his death and the destruction of his kingdom. A few clan elders were also there, discussing what was going to happen next. “Tanaka?” “Morning.” Aldren looked at the prisoner between Raishin and Raizen. “Who’s this?” “Someone who knows a lot about the murders.”

Tanaka stepped forwards. “This is Rhyss Varnclaw. He’s the assassin responsible for several of the killings, including the deaths inside the prison. More importantly, he’s confessed to working for the person who orchestrated the entire affair.” The atmosphere shifted. Aldren stood up. “Tell me.” Tanaka nodded to Rhyss. “Tell him what you told me.”

The assassin hesitated. “My master is Maelor Sableclaw, a royal Catfolk noble. He arranged the agreement with Lady Mereth Raukhan and ordered the murders throughout Varghelm. His intention was to make the Beastfolk peoples turn against one another, weaken the Wolf Crown and create an opportunity for the Catfolk to rise in influence.” Aldren’s eyes narrowed. “The Catfolk?” Rhyss nodded. “He also supplied the false Foxfolk magical techniques. Several Foxfolk elders cooperated with him, providing information about their spells and helping us imitate their mana signatures.” “Who?” “Serelle Vaun, Thessin Marr and Varro Kelis.” One of the Wolf Crown elders quickly wrote this down.

Rhyss continued. “Maelor also ordered me to assassinate Tanaka Eldoris. He believed that removing his core would kill him, and he provided me with the royal technique required to accomplish it.” Tanaka rubbed his cheek. “Unfortunately for him, that didn’t work.” Aldren looked at the core that had been removed, sitting in a small crystal on the table. He didn’t ask any questions. “Where is Maelor?” “He’s staying in the eastern district.” Aldren turned to Garric. “I want Maelor Sableclaw brought here immediately, along with every person named by the assassin. Send messengers to the Tiger, Lion, Fox, Rabbit and other recognized territories. Every ruler and authorized representative is to attend an emergency council.” Garric bowed. “Yes.” Aldren looked at Tanaka. “You have done well.” Tanaka shrugged. “I had some help.” Raishin looked at Rhyss. “A lot of help.” The assassin hung his head.

Maelor Sableclaw was becoming frantic. He had been waiting for Rhyss to return for most of the night. However, he hadn’t returned yet. His crystal was silent and he couldn’t get through to his partner crystal. At first he had assumed it was because the assassin had taken longer than expected to complete the assassination. But now he was becoming worried. Maelor paced around the chamber. “Where is he?” Maelor had expected Tanaka to be a tough target to kill. However, Rhyss had the perfect technique to kill those who relied on cores to exist. Even if the slime had survived the core removal, Rhyss should have had plenty of time to escape. Unless something had gone wrong.

Maelor stopped by the window. The golden wall was still there. He gritted his teeth. “It shouldn’t be possible.” There was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” “Royal guards. We have an order from the Wolf King.” Maelor’s face changed. He rushed towards the hidden passage behind the room. However, the teleportation formation he had set up wasn’t active. The wall meant that he couldn’t move through space outside of Varghelm and Aurelith’s control was far beyond what he could interfere with. The door opened. A few soldiers from the Wolf Crown entered, weapons drawn. “Maelor Sableclaw, you are hereby arrested by order of King Aldren Greymane for conspiracy, murder and attempted destabilisation of Bravelm.” Maelor stared. He laughed. “You have the wrong person.” One of the guards stepped forward. “We have a testimony from your assassin.” The smile faded from Maelor’s face. His ears drooped. “…Rhyss?”

By the time the sun rose fully, Maelor had been brought before the Wolf King. The emergency council chamber was busy. Garrath, Tavren, Queen Elowen, Caelis and the other surviving rulers were all there along with their representatives. The three Foxfolk traitors had also been captured and Rhyss was standing guarded by the entrance. Aurelith was sitting by Aldren and looked much calmer than the rest. Tanaka was standing by Raizen. Maelor was brought into the centre of the chamber. His hands were restrained and he no longer wore the royal insignia he had worn whilst in Varghelm. However, he still had a calm look on his face, thinking he could still talk his way out of this.

Aldren spoke. “Maelor Sableclaw, you have been accused of orchestrating the attacks that resulted in the deaths of several Beastfolk, manipulating the conflict between our peoples and attempting to assassinate Tanaka Eldoris. Do you deny these accusations?” Maelor said nothing. Aldren turned to Rhyss. “Tell him what you told me.” The assassin spoke. This time he gave more detail. He explained how he had organised the deals with Mereth, copied the Foxfolk magic, stolen the ledger and committed various murders. He also explained how Maelor had personally ordered Lynessa’s removal from the Catfolk royal family and provided him with the forbidden core removal technique. Once Rhyss had finished there was a silence.

Caelis looked at the three Foxfolk elders. “Is this true?” Serelle hung her head. Thessin said nothing. Varro closed his eyes. They said nothing. Maelor finally laughed. “Well, I suppose there’s little point pretending now.” A few of the rulers reacted. He looked at Aldren. “I wanted the Wolf Crown weakened, and the other peoples were far too easy to manipulate. All I needed was a little pressure in the right places.”

Tavren’s face darkened. “You used my sister?” “Mereth was useful.” Tavren stepped forwards but Aldren raised his hand. Maelor continued. “She had access to merchant contracts, private records and several influential families. I made an arrangement with her, and when her usefulness ended, I took what I needed from her residence.” Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. “The ledger.” “That’s right.” Aldren leaned forwards. “And Lynessa?” For the first time Maelor’s face changed. He looked at Tanaka. “She was never supposed to become a problem.” Tanaka said nothing.

Maelor went on, his voice lower now. “They had been unable to produce an heir for years, so they adopted me. I was raised as their son and considered their successor.” A silence fell. “She was born with an extraordinary affinity for mana. Even as a newborn, spirits were attracted to her, and the royal mages predicted that she would eventually become one of the greatest magic users in Catfolk history.” Nira’s face changed. She remembered the spirits. Maelor sighed sadly. “My parents began favouring her. They discussed changing the succession, and everything I had worked toward was suddenly threatened by a child who hadn’t even learned to walk.”

He looked down at his restrained hands. “So I arranged for her mana to be sealed. The specialist used an ancient royal technique designed to make the seal appear natural, even during examinations. Nobody could discover the difference between her condition and genuine magical incapacity.” “And her parents?” Tanaka asked. “I killed them,” he said it without hesitation. “I took control of the throne afterward and eventually placed a convenient ruler upon it. Lynessa was sent away and sold to Mereth through a private agreement. I wanted her forgotten, and for years, everything went according to plan.” Tanaka’s face was cold. “She was your sister.” “She was a threat.” No one said anything.

Maelor looked around. “Unfortunately for me, that didn’t work. The Catfolk still exist, and the other kingdoms will eventually begin fighting again.” Aurelith finally laughed. “Boring.” Everyone turned to him. The Kirin rested his chin in his hand. “Such a long plan, and for what? A child threatened your position, so you stole her future, killed her parents and sold her away. Then you nearly destroyed an entire civilization because you disliked the Wolf Crown.” Maelor glared. Aurelith smiled. “You’re not very interesting after all.”

Tanaka looked at Aldren. “What happens to him?” Aldren spoke clearly. “Maelor Sableclaw, by order of King Aldren Greymane, you are under arrest for conspiracy, murder and the attempted destabilization of Bravelm. He will not go unpunished and the Catfolk royal court will be investigated. As for the Foxfolk collaborators, they will have their own trial. They don’t represent the whole of the Foxfolk.” Aldren looked at the group of rulers. Caelis bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Tanaka looked at the entrance. “There is someone who should hear this.” Tanaka opened the Dominion Nexus. “Sora, get everyone to the royal residence. Relia, Nira, Raveana, everyone. I also want Lynessa brought here.” Sora replied almost instantly. “Did you find the culprit?” “Yes.” “Really? Who?” Tanaka looked at Maelor. “Just get everyone.” Tanaka closed the connection.

Aurelith looked at him with an amused expression. “You’re bringing the girl here?” “Yes. She deserves to hear the truth herself.” “Good.” The Kirin leaned back in his chair. He looked at Tanaka. “Now that you’ve found your culprit, perhaps we can discuss that little matter I asked you about.” Tanaka’s shoulders tensed. “Can’t we?” Aurelith laughed. “Contact Malachiel, dragon-blessed. Bravelm is waiting for its blessing.” Tanaka sighed. He had successfully found out about the conspiracy, stopped the war and found out who was responsible for Lynessa’s suffering. But somehow he had a feeling that asking Malachiel to bless an entire region would be his next big headache. And he hadn’t even told the dragon yet.