Backstabbing bastard. Their sins would not go unpunished. Plotting to kill him before they even knew who he was, aiming at not only getting the harbor but the last remnant of his own family. He would not give the ships up if it took his life.

A burning entitlement raged in his chest, he was the ruler by royal decree, yet here they scheme against him hoping to eliminate him. He would not let it stand.

But for now, he will smile and nod.

They will get what they deserve soon enough. Oh, how he wanted to see their faces as he showed them the royal decree of his entitlement to all the lands owned by the royal crown on the Orcish Subcontinent. How broken they would seem as they are caught red-handed trying to break a binding contract and kill their rightful liege?

They were mana bound to obey once he showed them the papers and only if he committed heinous crimes against them and their people or showed utter incompetence could they disobey. The rulings were made to be in-depth and detailed, taking in any great crime or possibility. While it made leeway for smaller transgressions, anything that affected the empire or could spark outright rebellion was cut at the roots without any mercy.

Entire family lines-every single living member, even bastards-had been eliminated because of the act of one person.

Finished writing, he pulled out twelve different stamps. Jonas assumed they were the major houses of the land and every other one was too weak to cause any issues to the furtherment of the contract. He dipped the edges only lightly before putting their insignias on the bottom part of the parchment. They left quite a large amount of blank space for the stamps.

Jonas pulled out his own. It was the first time he had looked at it after being given to him before he left. It held the chimera and blade on it. If he stamped with it, it would be his official insignia. With a sigh, he dipped it into the ink. He would not let an opportunity like this get away from him like the treasure from the ships. He would hold on to it with both hands like his life depended on it.

He stamped it the parchment, and they put it away. The nobleman raised his eyebrows as he looked at the insignia but didn’t say anything more. He took a clear ball of glass and flashed a light on the contract.

At that moment, Frezar walked in a hurry. In his hands was a black orb with red and gold lining it, quite unlike the clear one the nobleman had, on a plump red cushion. Since when had they had that? He had never seen it before, and if it was important, he should have been informed.

“If you will, My Lord,” Frezar said in a formal tone.

Jonas just nodded.

Frezar brought the orb to the parchment and it flashed a black light as it...scanned? What is that supposed to mean? All he knew was that the light moving from one end to the other repeatedly was an indicator, but of what exactly, he did not know.

On the other hand, the nobleman began to frown deeply unlike his ecstatic look just moments ago.

Jonas tapped on the table. “Well, if we are done-”

“I will show myself the way out.” The nobleman almost ran off the ship.

He watched the guy run out, then turned towards Frezar who was placing the orb in a drawer to his left. “Frezar? What is that?”

“This is an orb of power. Every noble family must have one to prove they are in the same stature. It copies any contract made, making it far more accessible and can recreate the actual paper with quite a bit of mana placed in it. There are more uses for the orb, like forcing noble families to get into line if they seem rebellious or if a liege has been found to take advantage of the common people. Quite the equalizer the emperor created. Good for the growth of the empire to have every house actually furthering the lands we call home. The least they could do.”

“On that note,” Ash said. “They plan to kill you before you get a chance to use the orb.”

Jonas laughed. “Oh, their reckoning will come.”

“They never found out about your arrival. They think your just another low noble run out of his home or a rich merchant who hiered a few strong mercenaries trying to enter their society. They don’t even have an ounce of suspicious.”

“It will bite their asses soon enough. And I now have a good source of income if we actually take the time to build it into one. Just got to get rid of the pirates somehow.”

Frezar coughed to get their attention. “You forget they must actually read even a word of the royal decree to be bound to swear loyalty. If they don’t, they aren't forced to swear loyalty and could kill you and blame it on the pirates. The city of Petrous must fall onto your lap, young master. Otherwise, much of the other cities would question your legitimacy. Though we can rely on the Knightly Houses and armies to fall into line without issue. Their oaths are far more complex and stringent than any noble.”

Jonas nodded in understanding. He had a lot to plan for and that included much drama and political maneuvering. But, he would get out of it victorious. He had too if he planned on staying alive and well on these war torn lands.