Chapter 418: Playing The Game
Huff...
"Relax," Rin said with a quiet chuckle. "It can always get worse."
Damian slowly turned his head and shot him an unamused glare before rolling his eyes.
"You’re not helping."
Without another word, he dragged himself through the steaming pool until he stood directly beneath the enormous fox sculpture carved into the wall. A constant stream of hot water poured from its open mouth, crashing over his shoulders before cascading down his body in shimmering sheets. He folded his arms across his chest, closed his eyes, and allowed the steady rhythm of the water to drown out everything else.
The attendants exchanged quiet glances before respectfully stepping back. None of them spoke. They simply waited while the hot water washed away the fragrant oils and flower petals that still clung to his skin.
Damian’s breathing gradually slowed. The political situation was far worse than Rah had warned him.
This wasn’t simply a divided court. It was a kingdom where every major institution already belonged to someone else.
Everywhere he looked, another faction had already sunk its roots into the throne he had only just inherited. His greatest advantage remained the one thing he gained from his greatest enemy so far.
His own army.
His thoughts immediately drifted toward Duke Haborym’s former legion. Although the battle on Earth had scattered them across countless realms, they still existed. He simply needed to bring them home.
Damian finally opened his eyes.
"Send Jota."
Rin immediately looked toward him with interest.
"Have him gather the rest of my forces scattered across the various realms. I want every soldier loyal to me returning to Velmora as quickly as possible."
A smile slowly spread across Rin’s face.
"Now you’re thinking like a ruler."
William immediately reopened his massive ledger.
One attendant quietly approached carrying a crystal vial of black ink together with a silver feather pen. William accepted both without looking away from Damian before swiftly recording every order in precise handwriting.
He already knew Jota.
The outcast commander and the demons who had followed him back to Velmora under Damian’s protection years earlier.
"Organize the men already here for a confidential meeting tonight and begin replacing the Royal Palace Guards."
William’s pen never stopped moving. Damian paused briefly and pondered in silence.
" Be descreet in replacing the royal guards. I don’t want anyone noticing."
William nodded.
"An excellent decision, Your Majesty. The Chamber Guards surrounding your private residence shall be replaced first. The men closest to Your Majesty must also be the men you trust most."
Rin folded his tails beneath him while watching Damian and a quiet chuckle escaped him.
"You’re surprisingly good at this."
Damian didn’t even look at him.
"Shut the fuck up. Instead... Give me an idea how to beat these nobles."
His voice remained perfectly calm and Rin shrugged.
"I’d start with the Barons."
William quietly nodded before Rin even finished speaking.
"You need allies. It doesn’t matter how weak they appear. The Shaki Clan has remained loyal despite being ignored. If you recognize that loyalty, every other neglected Baron family across the realm will notice."
Damian slowly nodded. A kingdom wasn’t built by standing at the top. It was built from the bottom upward. If the smallest noble families believed the Prince rewarded loyalty rather than favoritism, they would naturally gravitate toward him.
Only after establishing that foundation could he begin replacing powerful officials without risking isolation.
William closed one section of the ledger before continuing.
"As for the Minister of War and the Grand Chancellor.. Your objective should not be their deaths."
"It should be reducing their influence. Their armies must gradually leave the capital. Then their supporters must lose power. Their political networks must weaken. But you should not destroy them."
He looked directly toward Damian who slowly turned.
"Why?"
"Because they remain the backbone of Your Majesty’s military strength against rival Princes." William answered without hesitation
"The realm still requires a Duke and a Marquis as powerful as Amon. The goal is not to eliminate capable servants. It is to remind them who they serve."
Damian quietly considered those words and they made sense. Removing either of them entirely would cripple Velmora. He didn’t possess enough loyal commanders to replace them yet.
Rin casually scratched one ear.
"Of course... There is another option."
William visibly stiffened.
"You could always do what Sol did. Seal the realm. Exterminate everyone. Then repopulate it with humans from Earth who worship you from the beginning. You’d have complete loyalty. You’d just need to rebuild an entire military or become strong enough to defend the realm yourself."
Rin grinned mischievously.
Silence filled the bathhouse. Even the attendants stopped moving and William slowly looked toward Rin.
Everyone looked equally horrified.
Damian stared at him for several long moments then ge shook his head.
"No. That’s not my style."
Damian’s answer came instantly.
Rin simply smiled.
"I figured."
Damian stepped away from the waterfall.
Water streamed down his body as he slowly crossed the polished stone floor toward an elegant chaise lounge positioned near the edge of the bathhouse.
The attendants immediately hurried ahead of him, laying fresh towels across the chair before he sat down. They resumed their work in silence, drying his hair and wiping away the remaining moisture with careful, professional movements while giving him enough space to continue thinking.
Damian leaned back.
"I’ll use Rah’s Kasok Clan as my foundation. From there... We bring the Shaki to our side. Then the Blood Demons."
His thoughts became increasingly organized.
"Only after that do we start expanding."
William nodded approvingly while recording every decision. Damian rested one elbow upon the armrest.
"As for my wives’ families... I can’t destroy them. They’re precious to my wives But I can replace their current leadership with people who will bend to me."
He slowly narrowed his eyes.
The idea reminded him of how severely governments back on Earth were toppled in the 20th century alone. Remove the leadership and install people willing to cooperate as puppet leaders.
Control the institution without destroying it.
If he succeeded the political influence of those three clans would effectively become his own.
Immediately. William slowly closed the ledger.
"It won’t be easy."
"I know."
Damian looked directly at him.
"William."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"I want you to investigate all three families. Find me people willing to serve the Crown instead of their current Patriarchs."
He held William’s gaze.
"Can I entrust you with that?"
William bowed deeply.
"You may entrust Your Majesty’s entire household to me. I shall begin immediately."
Damian slowly nodded before leaning back once more. His eyes gradually closed.
There was no avoiding it. Hazel, Ruby and Racheal s ooner or later. would have to get involved. Only they possessed enough influence to help dismantle the political machines built by their own families.
Rin quietly watched him before a slow grin spread across his face.
"Things are about to get very messy."
He chuckled softly.