Count Brell’s public release and Lord Calven’s unexpected defection shook the noble class to its core. For the first time in centuries nobles had publicly lost a political confrontation. Their intimidation failed. Their accusations collapsed. Their unity cracked. And that failure revealed something more terrifying to them than any monster wandering the wilds
The people were no longer afraid

The morning after the hearing the capital buzzed with energy. Citizens filled the markets discussing the trial. Apprentices repeated Ethan’s statements as if they were lessons. Farmers spoke Brell’s name with admiration. Merchants whispered that maybe the time for noble dominance was ending

Ethan walked through the Bureau hall as analysts rushed between tables carrying new reports. Lira handed him a stack of scrolls. Professor public opinion is shifting quickly. People are demanding written laws for the first time. Some regions even began forming local councils to discuss reforms

Ethan nodded. Natural evolution. When central authority loses trust people build their own structure

Finn approached. Professor there are also darker reports. Noble enforcers have doubled their patrols. Some nobles are pressuring guilds to reorganize and prepare for conflict. They want to reclaim control before it slips away completely

Ethan read through the scrolls. Everything made sense. Systems under pressure react with increasing intensity just before they break

The head mage entered quietly. His expression grave. Professor the crown guards have intercepted several messages. Varenden is assembling a coalition. He is calling for extraordinary measures to stop the reforms

Lira asked. Extraordinary measures. What does that mean

The head mage hesitated. It means they are considering removing the Bureau entirely. Removing you

Ethan placed the scroll on the table. Not unexpected. When institutions threaten entrenched power the response escalates

But this time the escalation was more coordinated. Three major noble houses signed a pact at dawn pledging support for Varenden. Several guild masters secretly renewed alliances with nobles despite their recent conflicts. The old system was closing ranks. They had failed in public so they would move in the shadows again

Lira said softly. They are frightened professor. They are acting out of fear not strength

Ethan nodded. And desperate systems are the most dangerous. They strike recklessly

Just as he spoke a sudden tremor shook the hall. Mana surged beneath the floor glowing faint blue. Analysts grabbed the table instinctively

Finn shouted. Mana spike. Unnatural. Something is wrong

Ethan rushed outside with Lira. A plume of magic burst skyward from the western district. Smoke billowed into the air. Citizens screamed as they fled the area. The air crackled with unstable energy

Ethan ran toward the disturbance. As he reached the district edge he saw devastation. A guild warehouse had exploded. Mana stones scattered across the ground radiating unstable power. The building’s walls were torn apart. A section still smoldered

Lira gasped. Professor that is the Weaver Guild’s storage. Why would it explode

Ethan immediately noticed something wrong. The blast pattern was too precise. Too directed. Too controlled. This was not an accident

A group of nobles arrived moments later led by Varenden’s ally Lord Helvek. His voice rang across the ruined district. Citizens behold the danger of the reforms. The Bureau’s interference has destabilized our economy and our mana production. This explosion is proof

Ethan stepped forward. This was not caused by the Bureau. This was engineered intentionally. Mana stones do not explode without direct tampering

Lord Helvek glared. Lies from the outsider. You have thrown our markets into chaos with your floating currency and ridiculous oversight. Now even mana storage is unstable

Lira whispered. They are framing us

Ethan knelt beside the debris. He inspected a cracked mana stone. The glow was unnatural. Its structure altered. It had been deliberately overloaded

He stood. This was sabotage staged to turn the public against reforms

Helvek shouted. The people must reject the Bureau before more disasters occur. Before this outsider destroys the kingdom

More nobles joined him repeating the accusations loudly. Citizens looked confused torn between fear and doubt. The explosion had shaken them. Even those who supported Ethan hesitated

Ethan faced the crowd. Mana stones do not destabilize because of reform. They destabilize when intentionally overloaded. Look at the fractures. This was done by someone with knowledge of mana engineering not someone creating economic plans

Helvek scoffed. You dare claim nobles would destroy their own property

Ethan answered. Power fears losing power more than destruction

Gasps rippled. Helvek’s eyes darkened. He stepped forward as if to strike Ethan but two mages intervened. The shouting between nobles and mages escalated as more citizens poured into the district

Ethan knew the nobles planned this carefully. If they could convince the city that reform caused magical instability they could regain control. Fear was their strongest weapon. And fear had just been given a spark

But Ethan also knew something important. A lie this large could not survive long if exposed correctly. He turned to Lira

We investigate everything. We gather evidence. We show the kingdom the truth again

Lira nodded with determination. This time we will expose them before the rumors spread

As the district filled with chaos Ethan looked around slowly absorbing every detail. Nobles retreating with smirks of confidence. Citizens shaken. Guilds whispering conspiracies. The mages unsure how to explain the magical residue

This was an attack not on property
Not on the Bureau
Not even on Ethan

It was an attack on trust
Because trust was the foundation of reform

And the nobles intended to shatter it