Days after the banquet there were two great waves of news that dominated the Empire.
The first one was the announcement to establish the Anti-Curse Committee which would spearhead the combat of the Empire against the curse users and help the victims recover.
Every noble gathering and even the commoner's topic on an idle chat was who would be the members that would be recommended by the greatest forces in the Empire.
This will also signify that there will soon be a balance in the authority since the Anti-Curse Committee would be the very first inclusive yet neutral oversight body in the Empire.
Whether it was the temple, the imperial family, nobles, the commoners, or even the foreign visitors inside the Empire, as long as one was involved in using the curse magic, the Anti Curse Committee will have the right to detain, apprehend and investigate it.
Knowing this, every citizen of the Empire became hopeful that the matter of the curse would finally be eliminated in the Empire.
Remembering that there was even a curse user in the Imperial Family (which was also once affiliated with the Temple), they felt relieved that not even the Temple nor the Imperial family would stop them from executing their duties when curse magic is involved.
The second and the most talked-about topic in the Empire was the rumored love affair of the Third Prince and the Greatest Inventor of the Seirende Empire, Lady Eli!
Who would have expected that the cold-blooded warlord would even approach a lady to the point that he would even wait at the gates of the Farauld Research Institute just to ask the lady to dine with him?
What's more, the lady even appeared beside the Third Prince during the entrance of the Imperial Family! Everyone knew that not all could act as a female companion of the Prince in cases where the Imperial Family had to enter together in an official event.
And so everyone speculated that Lady Eli's appearance with the rest of the members of the Imperial Family was an implication of the soon-to-be betrothal of the Third Prince and the Genius Inventor.
There were mixed reactions to this news, however. Most of the noblewomen were displeased that they were about to lose the chance to become the bride of the now strongest and most eligible man in the Empire.
The noblemen were also equally displeased as they knew that if the Third Prince marries the Genius Inventor, the Faraulds and the Forgeworns would finally have the power equivalent to the power of a ducal family.
This would in turn signify the weakening of the aristocratic function as the Faraulds and Forgeworns weren't even nobles. They initially obtained their high standing because of their specialties in business and education. Then they became formidable because of the Grandmasters.
Now if an S-level mage, the Third Prince, marries the preciously adopted granddaughter of the two S-class Grandmasters, then the two families' reputation and value would skyrocket inevitably.
In a secret gathering of the noble factions that aimed to affiliate with the Third Prince, there was an intense discussion.
"How can we influence the Third Prince to stop his relationship with Lady Eli?" They all furrowed their brows in frustration.
They used the word 'influence' not 'pressure' because they knew that no one could pressure an S-Class Mage.
Leon would only need the acknowledgments from the living Grandmasters in Prasinos before he would obtain the title of 'Grandmaster' himself.
Upon gaining the title, his responsibility and authority would now transcend beyond the borders of the Empire, just like Grandmasters Andvari and Reuben.
However, that still depends on Leon's decision to gain the title. If not, he will still be revered as an S Class mage, still far above others.
"I don't know… We know that he never even shows interest in the throne…"
"Think about it, he was already an S class mage a few years back and even an open path, and yet he never showed the intention to become the successor to the throne."
"I think it's time for us to rethink our choice."
"Prince Kazimir still holds a stable favor to the Emperor, so I am sure that he can still make it even without the Vesalas."
"Prince Antoine will also do. Haven't you noticed that ever since his near-death experience, he had shown a significant increase in talents and strength?"
Soon almost half of the nobles wavered. They were starting to realize that even if Leon would want to take the throne, they couldn't control him after all. With his overwhelming strength, he might even put a leash on each of the noble's necks.
Bam!!!
"Gentlemen! Listen to what you are saying!" The noblemen bellowed and demanded the people to calm down.
Count Risalle was a neutral count who shared territory in the East with the Vesalas. He had been long suppressed by the Duke's powers and now that the Duke was now long gone, he thought that this was finally a chance for his family to grow their influence.
He looked at his fellow noblemen and finally took a deep breath to calm down. In the room, the highest noble ranking was only at the level of a Count, which was numerous at the moment. It might not be good for him to arrogantly assume leadership when their faction was just in the infancy stage.
Clearing his throat he looked apologetically to the people who looked at him warily and shot them an apologetic smile, "I apologize for such a rude action. I just wanted to calm down everyone and slowly rethink the matter."
There was silence in the room. Count Risalle was certain that the noblemen did not accept his superficial apologies.
However, he didn't mind and just continued, "With the Emperor's announcement of the Anti-Curse Committee, this only signified he was anxious. He was scrambling to prepare the Empire for a bigger enemy!"
"Remember, that the secret force who aided the Vesalas to obtain the curse power has not yet revealed themselves. The First and the Second Prince might have great leadership skills, influence and intelligence, however, what our Empire needs right now is strength."
"And that strength could only be found in the Third Prince. So in my opinion, for as long as we have not yet fully freed the Empire from the threats of the hidden enemy… we need to rely on the Third Prince for our lives!"
"..." There was a calm silence in the room. It was different from the previous silence a while ago, now the noblemen were genuinely contemplating the truth in Count Risalle's words.
"But really… it would be hard for us to persuade the Third Prince to assume leadership, much more to reconsider his relationship with the Great Inventor…" The nobles voiced their concern.
"Well… I have an idea… If you all don't mind." Count Risalle's eyes squinted in delight as he looked at his fellows.
"Let's not target the Prince… let's target the lady instead." He coldly smiled as he brought out the newspaper holding the article containing the gossip between Eli and Anderson.
"T-this…" The noblemen looked at each other as if they understood Count Risalle's idea. "But didn't the Young Master Anderson clear that there was nothing going on between them? Besides implicating the young master in this, we'll have to prepare for the retaliation…"
"I am not saying that we have to use the young master! I am saying that we target the young lady's reputation! Whether it was her love life, her unknown origins, her etiquette… we must do something to discredit her enough to make the Prince falter!" Count Risalle elaborated.
He looked at the men who were still uncertain about his idea and with a cunning smile he concluded.
"We'll use everything against her… even her own works!"
–
Meanwhile, Eli, who was unknowingly the subject of the noblemen's conversation, was now busy meeting each of the research groups to give some guidance and advice on their research.
After toiling for months in order to strengthen the foundations of the researchers in terms of research methods, sciences, and mathematics, she could finally assume her original function which was to become the consultant of the research institute.
Her expertise and knowledge were now highly relevant because the researchers had to prepare for the research competition in less than five months.
With Eli guiding the researchers on the right path, the researchers could now think of much stronger and more relevant studies to start with.
Today, there were a total of five main research going on, each in the field of magic, medicine, agriculture, and the sciences. All of these are deemed relevant to the current state of the Empire.
"Whew!!! That's the last one for today! I think I can go home early!" Eli stretched her back after finishing the final consultation.
Just as she was about to get up and start packing, there was a hasty knocking on the door with Athena's panicked voice ringing outside.
Eli felt the urgency in Dean Athena's actions and so she immediately opened the door only to see Dean's troubled expression.
"Councilor Eli! We greatly need you! Please if you are free, would you mind having a word with me?"
