In a dark chamber built deep underground sat seven figures around a large round table.
A foreboding silence rang in the air.
The air was perilous.
Electric.
"…Is this real?" One man narrowed his eyes, reading a report.
"It is, Don Jiteliana," Prince Rajak replied.
Don Jiteliana's expression grew ugly. "Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria, hm?"
A fierce, malevolent bloodlust lit up in the depths of his eyes.
"What a profoundly displeasing turn of events."
His dark robes fluttered as he shook with disgust at the report.
"Relax, Jiteliana," A seductive voice chimed in.
"Do not command me, harlot," Don Jiteliana's eyes lit up with rage, glaring at her. "Get your legs off the table before I chop them off."
The threat in his eyes was palpable.
"Like what you see? If you want my body so much, just ask, though it'll cost ya." She blew out a deep puff of smoke before inhaling another from her cigar. "…Still, curious plot twist, ain't it?"
Her eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity as they fell to the picture of Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria. "...Yummy."
A sadistic smile emerged on her face as her eyes widened with lust and greed.
The others sharpened their eyes.
"Don't even think about it, Don Carura," Prince Rajak narrowed his eyes.
"…Oh?" Her eyes turned to Prince Rajak with a glint of maleficence. "…And just what was I thinking of?"
"Your intentions are all but transparent," Another young man's voice calmly interjected. "You were thinking of kidnapping him and selling him after getting a taste for one night, weren't you?"
"My, Carnil," A coy smile emerged on her face. "Y'got me."
Her eyes returned back to the profile of Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria. "Such deep pitch-black hair and eyes. Just like the fabled Demon of Asmodeus. I know some senators and congressmen of the Republic of Gorteau who have exotic fetishes. They would love to have him as a pet."
"His Sagehood informs me to tell you to forget about it," A Martial Master seated at the table remarked. "Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria is not to be touched. His Sagehood says he will abandon all of you and escape when the Martial Union's overpowering dominance and wrath destroys the Underworld in retaliation."
An ugly expression appeared on all their faces. "How could such a coward become a Martial Sage?"
"What kind of Martial Sage did you think would join the Underworld instead of the Martial Union?" Don Carnil heaved a sigh.
"My Lords," Prince Rajak's eyes narrowed. "Can we focus on the agenda at hand?"
"There isn't much to focus on." An elderly man at the table calmly remarked. "I have gathered all the information there is to gather. There is about a fifty-percent chance that he will bid for the throne. And should he choose to do so…"
The old man closed his eyes. "Your Highness' probability of ascending the throne plummets by about seventeen percent."
Prince Rajak's expression grew ugly at his words. "…Are you sure about that, Lord Dagonel?"
The old man opened his eyes, slowly turning to Prince Rajak with a glint of darkness in his eyes.
"…I apologize for questioning your judgment."
Don Dagonel was the head of the Dagonel Network, the oligopolistic mafia for illegal information services. Although its scope and scale were smaller than those of the Beggar's Sect, the quality of its information services within the Kandrian Empire, their main market, was on par with that of the Beggar's Sect before rapidly declining anywhere outside.
The entirety of the Underworld relied on the Dagonel Mafia for reliable information, as Prince Rajak in his campaign for the throne.
"It is a shame that the assassination attempt by the four royals seems to have failed." Another man's voice echoed in the dark chamber. "I went through all the effort of supplying gold to the designated assassins."
Don Schambiei expressed his displeasure at the failure of the assassination attempt.
"It wasn't easy smuggling so many prominent high-grade Senior assassins into Kandria," Another woman remarked with a calm voice.
"Your services were certainly appreciated, Don Schambiei, Don Feimia," Prince Rajak's expression grew ugly.
He, too, regretted that the assassination didn't seem to have panned out.
"We can consider the option of killing Prince Rui. However, I still need more support," Prince Rajak remarked. "Prince Rui will be gaining immense momentum right out of the gate. You can be assured that the Martial Union will not allow any force to so much as put even the slightest scratch on him. This time, even the ten Martial Sages of the union might personally move. We need to be able to win and outbid this new opponent."
"It's not that easy," Don Carnil nonchalantly remarked. "We have tried helping you gain more momentum with our ventures, remember? But these require capital and are prone to risk of failure, like my drug trafficking operation from the Great Forest of Hynonarak that was targeted and rapidly annihilated more than two years ago by a mysterious assassin."
"I need your help, My Lords," Prince Rajak gritted his teeth. "I cannot ascend the throne without it."
He inwardly cursed at the casual nonchalance of the Underworld's reaction to the recent news. He had to deal with strange and eccentric personalities that were the height of irrationality.
"…I'll think about it," Don Carnil calmly replied. "I'm not sure how inclined I am. The probability of your victory has reduced substantially, and the risk factor has risen above tolerable magnitude. The probability of meaningful ROI increasingly decreases."
He turned to Prince Rajak, narrowing his eyes. "Prove yourself. You're intelligent and competent. Show us that you're still worthy of our unconditional support."
This was the first thing that all six dons of the Underworld found themselves to be in agreement with. They stared at Prince Rajak with judgmental eyes with a hint of amusement and skepticism.
Prince Rajak's expression grew grave. "Fine. I will show you that only I am to ascend the throne."
