"Speaker, you are here."
As Deputy Speaker Chenos stepped into the square, clad in his signature light golden wizard robe, the wizards of the Magic Congress immediately turned their attention to him.
"Speaker, do you have any instructions?" one of them asked with a respectful nod.
"If necessary, I can arrange everything at once," added Shaffer, the Director of International Trade and Foreign Affairs, who quickly approached with a bright, eager expression.
Chenos offered a small smile as he turned to face Shaffer. "Actually, there is something I need you to handle." He then gestured toward the Goblin Eye—still floating above them, its dark green glow pulsing faintly as it blinked.
"I recently received intelligence that suggests a serious breach in our latest operation. There is a possibility that our intelligence-gathering measures have blind spots," he continued, his tone deliberate. "So, I want you to coordinate with the best alchemist masters—both wizards and goblins—to conduct research. See if the Goblin Eye has any limitations or vulnerabilities that we might have overlooked."
A few wizards exchanged glances, their expressions curious but cautious. This was a bold move.
Chenos smiled to himself. He knew exactly what the goblins were doing behind the scenes, but for now, that wasn't the point. He had long allowed the goblins to play their games, pretending not to notice their influence growing within the Congress. It had even been beneficial for him at times, fostering a cooperative front between the two factions.
But now, things had changed.
Now, it was time for him to remind them who truly held the power.
The gravity of the issue was entirely in his hands. He decided whether this was a minor concern… or a crisis.
Under Chenos's orders, a group of wizards and a single goblin were assembled to examine the Goblin Eye more closely.
"This investigation will require an on-site assessment," Chenos added smoothly. "I want hands-on experimentation."
Shaffer hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Understood."
As the team moved toward the Congress entrance, a wizard cast a Levitation Charm, guiding the Goblin Eye down from its pedestal. The dark green orb drifted gracefully through the air, finally coming to rest in the hands of Master Alchemist Moss.
Holding it in both hands, Moss swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
Magnificent.
The goblins had long restricted access to the Goblin Eye, allowing only their own kind to maintain and study it. But now, for the first time, it was in the hands of a wizard.
Moss's fingers trembled as he examined the artifact up close. The exquisite runes, the minute etchings—so precise, so intricately woven into the magical framework.
It was beautiful.
His colleagues stepped closer, eager to see it firsthand.
"Moss, let me get a look—"
"Be careful, don't use too much magic—"
"Don't rush, study it properly—"
Moss barely heard them. His mind was wholly absorbed in the study of the Goblin Eye. His magical senses stretched deep into the artifact, tracing the delicate web of enchantments, the concealed mechanisms of its power.
Tsk. Truly remarkable.
The runes embedded within pulsed subtly, forming a layered network of detection magic. It wasn't just a tool to see the present—it was an extension of time itself, woven with fate-bound magic to discern patterns, anticipate betrayal, and mark enemies before they revealed themselves.
The goblins had been relying on this for centuries.
And yet…
There is something else here.
Moss's brows furrowed slightly. A subtle fluctuation… a secondary script buried beneath the primary enchantments.
The wizard's breath hitched.
This was not just a detector.
There was something hidden deep within this relic.
Chenos, standing nearby, maintained a polite conversation with Kenny, the goblin alchemist representative. His tone was friendly, even affable.
But Kenny knew better.
Chenos was testing them.
For the past several minutes, Chenos had been casually keeping him engaged, posing pointed questions about intelligence security, the Goblin Eye's capabilities, and whether the goblins had concerns about its reliability.
Kenny could barely contain his frustration. He knew what was happening.
This wasn't an inquiry. This was an attack.
Chenos was weaponizing bureaucracy.
He couldn't outright seize control of the Goblin Eye, nor could he openly challenge the goblins. Instead, he was using policy, regulation, and "official procedure" as a cudgel.
The worst part? He was completely within his rights.
There was nothing Kenny could do without openly defying the Congress—something that would be politically disastrous for the goblins.
So, he was forced to watch.
Forced to smile.
Forced to play along as wizards he barely trusted probed the most sacred artifact of their people.
But as he endured this charade, his eyes flicked toward Moss.
The wizard alchemist had gone silent.
Kenny's stomach twisted.
No. No, no, no… don't find it. Don't notice it.
He had to stop this.
He opened his mouth—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Chenos's sharp applause rang through the square, and every head turned toward him.
"Everyone," he said with an easy smile, "I think we've spent enough time outside. Let's continue this discussion inside the Congress."
His voice was warm, his words pleasant.
But there was no choice in what he said.
The investigation was moving inside, where it would be shielded from public scrutiny.
A private discussion.
A goblin's nightmare.
The gathered wizards nodded, following Chenos's lead.
As they began moving, Moss hesitated.
He looked at the Goblin Eye in his hands.
Looked at Chenos.
Looked at Kenny.
Something flashed in his eyes.
A decision.
A choice.
And then—
BOOM!
A deafening crack split the air.
The Goblin Eye shattered.
Fragments exploded outward like razor-sharp shards of jade. Several cut into Moss's face, drawing thin lines of blood down his cheek.
The entire procession froze.
Chenos's head snapped toward the wizard, his eyes wide with disbelief.
WHAT. THE. HELL.
He had given one simple order: erase the secondary runes. Destroy the evidence—quietly.
But Moss—that idiot—had completely obliterated the entire artifact.
Silence swallowed the square.
Then—
Kenny screamed.
"The Goblin Eye—! You—you—"
Other goblins erupted into a frenzy of outrage. The wizards flinched as chaos rippled through the group.
Chenos's scalp tingled. His mind raced.
Think. Think. THINK!
He had wanted to teach the goblins a lesson.
Not declare war.
This…
This was a disaster.
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