A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Bathed in radiance, the silvery Federal Council Palace rang with voices beneath its dome.
"Silence!"
The Federation's spokesman rapped on the table at the podium, looking solemnly down at the assembled great nobles and representatives of Spellcaster factions.
Camera flashes flickered incessantly, and reporters from many major media outlets were present.
"To preserve the Federation's stability and address the increasingly grave disorder among Spellcasters, our 276 senators cast 258 votes in favor, 18 abstentions, and zero votes against!"
"We have resolved to intensify our crackdown on the cult factions led by the True God Church, as well as the Arcane Society. This bill is the 'Anti-Evil Act'-"
The spokesman was still speaking above, but the reporters below had already erupted into an uproar. Like fish scenting blood, they grew increasingly excited.
Representatives of some mid-sized factions also looked shocked. They knew that once this act passed, towering waves would sweep through the already chaotic Federation.
Only the representatives of great nobles and major powers-the Lorne family, the Stoke Lineage, the Cromwell family, the Silver Ring Merchant Guild, the Wilderland Free Territory-remained utterly composed. Once the act was finalized, they rose and left one after another.
That afternoon.
Serinburg's inner city.
Inside a sprawling, lavishly furnished manor.
Warm, gentle sunlight streamed through a window, falling upon a handsome, upright young man with a bare chest.
The young man looked languid, with a hint of unruliness and wickedness in his features. He gave a comfortable yawn, as though he had just enjoyed a thoroughly satisfying afternoon nap.
"Master!"
A sweet, coquettish voice sounded beside his ear, and a slender, delicate hand brought a crystal wineglass to his lips.
Its owner was a pretty woman. Her seductive eyes fixed on the young man's bare