One year ago, a rumour had begun to spread in the nation of Argria.

The rumour was that the King of Argria, the infamous Hannibal Bancroft, was secretly raising an heir to the throne, far from the Royal Palace.

The rumour also said that the King had kept the information regarding his heir a secret thanks to the help of the Royal Council to ensure the safety of his child.

The rumor didn't manage to gain a lot of traction, and it eventually died down after a while.

There was simply way too little information regarding the rumours.

[The Royal Family reveals the King and the Queen are ill! The Royal Council to appoint Prince Blake Bancroft, son of the Royal Couple who was raised secretly, as the new King! ]

So when the news came out, no one in the country seemed to be believing it.

"It appears that someone is making jokes.."

"Well if they really are jokes.. they're not very funny!"

"It's ridiculous… there's no way the Royal Family can get away with doing such a thing! Raising a secret child? At least think up something a bit more believable!"

Most people in the country dismissed it as just a joke made by someone. And so, despite the fact that it was potentially the biggest breaking news they have ever heard, no one paid too much attention to this news.

However, things began to change when one year later, Royal Guards with messenger emblems on their shoulders began appearing in towns and villages, and people's eyebrows rose once again.

The appearance of a Royal Guard with a messenger emblem on his shoulder usually meant that there was some important information that was to be passed on to the public from the King. These 'information' ranged from changes made to the country's land to sudden tax reforms for which the King and the Queen were known.

Of course, the thoughts of the normal citizens were still the same, but suspicion began to arise.

"It's not true…. is it?"

However, unlike what they had imagined, what came from the mouths of the Royal Guard Messengers only confirmed the rumours.

"The Reign of King Hannibal Bancroft and Queen Isabelle Bancroft is coming to an end!"

"The King and the Queen, who had both been diagnosed to have been infected by an unknown and incurable disease sometime last year, have secretly been receiving treatment under the care of the Royal medicine experts. But unfortunately, they still remain affected by this disease, despite the efforts of the Royal Medicine branch."

"Seeing as the disease has been slowly draining away their life-force, this leaves them just a few months left to live. And because of this, the King and the Queen, with the agreement of the Royal Council, have taken the brave decision to hand over the throne to their son, Blake Bancroft, who was sent to be raised in the city of Josenheim for his protection, until he was old enough."

"The Prince - and the soon to be King - of Argria, Blake Bancroft, will address the nation and its citizens in the city of Josenheim, the place where he grew up, in the coming week!"

"Uh?"

"What?"

"Oh my god, it's true!"

The citizens, who couldn't believe what they just heard, could not help but shout out. And soon, the news resonated throughout the country.

"A new era was arriving!"

*********************

Inside the Headmaster's Office.

The Headmaster of Golden Avarice Academy walked back and forth with a sunken expression on his face. He had just received the news that the King, who was allegedly ill, was abdicating the throne, and his secret child, Prince Blake Bancroft, will be declared the new King of Argria during his coronation in the city of Josenheim next week.

Of course, this had caught him off-guard. He did expect the Monarchy to make a move in an effort to taint the reputation of the academies even more, but he certainly wasn't expecting the reveal of a secret heir.

He didn't know how the Royal couple kept the birth of their child a secret. He wasn't even sure if this child was the King's in the first place, but seeing as the Royal Council had agreed to a public coronation, it was most likely the truth.

"... But why?"

The Headmaster accidentally blurted out the words he had been repressing, "Why on earth would they reveal this information right now?"

The Headmaster had no clue as to why the Monarchy chose to disclose such a vital piece of information at this specific moment.

Carlos Nunez, one of Headmaster's secret guards who had brought him the news of Prince Blake Bancroft, shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Perhaps this is all an elaborate ploy to get the public on their side while everyone is busy hating the academies.."

"I really do not think that's the case, Carlos. The information they revealed isn't so simple.." After thinking about it for a few minutes, the Headmaster shook his head. While the Royal Family could've been taking advantage of the situation that the academies had gotten themselves into, the information that they revealed was simply too significant to be used in an attempt to fan the flames, and this news might work against them in the long run.

'They must've known that the protests and the efforts of the reformation movement would only get even more fierce after revealing the fact that the Bancroft bloodline isn't coming to an end anytime soon, right?'

The Headmaster walked back and forth while locked in thought, and the sounds of his footsteps rang out.

"Does this mean that the Monarchy is planning on ending this conflict once and for all?" He grumbled in a low voice before continuing, "Do they plan on eradicating their enemies?"

All of a sudden-

A knock on the door.

"Headmaster, it's the Second Elder."

The Headmaster looked at Carlos for a second and replied,"Just come in."

"Yes, Headmaster," As soon as the voice finished speaking, the turning of the doorknob was heard, and the Second Elder entered the room with a face that was difficult to read.

"I assume you've already heard the news, Baron ..." The Headmaster spoke with a bitter smile on his face, and the Second Elder nodded his head furiously, "How could I not hear about it? What the hell are they planning, dropping a bombshell like that? Did they plan that?"

"What do you think?" The Headmaster glanced at the Second Elder as he went back to his desk.

"I don't know," The Second Elder muttered. He was clearly annoyed by the actions of the Royal Family. "Are they seriously planning on taking us down? Is this a declaration of war… their way of saying that the Bancroft bloodline will never end?"

"But revealing the identity of the Prince to the public doesn't exactly put them in an advantageous position. And they didn't even give the coronation any time either.. It's like they're running out of time.."

The Headmaster stopped talking for a moment, took a sip from the coffee cup on his desk, and continued. "Regardless, if they are planning on ending this conflict as soon as possible, then I think I made the wrong decision by allowing the Royal Army to monitor our Academy. I thought we'd have enough time and they wouldn't move so quickly, but it appears I've made a mistake."

"It wouldn't have mattered, Headmaster. The Royal Family would've found a way. And besides, the situation wasn't favourable to us anyways, so it was best to not stir up any more trouble," the Second Elder said as he glanced at the Headmaster.

"The Second Elder is right, Headmaster. It's not your fault… " Carlos chimed in as well, and the Headmaster shook his head. "But I could've tried stopping them. Even if the result might've been inevitable, I could've at least tried."

"But...!"

"No, don't deny, Baron. This failure is my responsibility, and I plan on accepting it."

The Second Elder couldn't disobey the Headmaster, so he trembled and carefully withdrew.

"What do you plan on doing, Headmaster?" The Second Elder asked.

"Well first, I was planning on suspending all activities inside the academy for a few days. There might be a surprise attack, to further destroy our reputation amongst the public, and we need to be ready," The Headmaster, while sitting in his chair, replied lightly. "The students may already know that something is up, so make sure that they are ready for anything. We need them to be alert, and ready to fight. I assume that you were planning on briefing your disciples?"

"I am, Headmaster," The Second Elder replied as he bowed his head. "I have already asked them to gather at my residence and I will be briefing them about the situation after I leave."

"Good, because I don't want to lose any of my students to an outside force," the Headmaster looked at Carlos and continued. "Carlos, I'm going to have to ask you to send your unit to the rest of the academies to figure out what they're planning to do. With what happened with General Ivan, I can't help but feel like something's wrong."

"Yes, Headmaster.. I'll leave right away!" With those words, Carlos walked away with his usual light footsteps, passing by the Second Elder.

"You don't trust the Alliance?" The Second Elder waited for Carlos to leave, and looked at the Headmaster for an answer. "I thought they were on our side?"

"Most of them," the Headmaster snapped his finger as he replied. "As far as we know, they might also be dealing with internal matters. Although they might not say it outright.."

"You think the Third Elder's faction might become an issue?" The Second Elder asked, and the Headmaster nodded. "I'm afraid, Baron. I fear this is just the beginning of something. Something far nefarious."