Wizard Earl

"Of course I remember!"

Recalling her love-hate relationship with Connor in Rune, Margaret couldn't help but smile. She nodded and said, "I discovered that the cemetery where your great-aunt is buried had traces of secret society members, and after investigating the Politano incident, I wanted to use that to test you, Connor!"

At this point, Margaret seemed to realize something from Connor's comment, "Reyes might be my relative." A look of surprise appeared on her pretty face, and she asked Connor incredulously, "Reyes is Stefano Ferguson's...?"

"According to Martina, Reyes' full name is Reyes Ferguson. His true identity is an illegitimate child born to Stefano Ferguson before she got married. Because he was an illegitimate child, he did not take the surname of Stefano's husband's family, but instead took the surname of Stefano Ferguson. So, from a bloodline point of view, he is my uncle."

"However, I had a conversation with old Victor before the big battle. He scoffed at Martina's claim, thinking it was a baseless conjecture. But he did tacitly agree that Reyes and I were related." Connor told Margaret everything he knew about Reyes's background.

Perhaps Connor's words were too much for Margaret to process immediately, so she remained silent for several minutes before speaking to him: "Connor, the information I received from my sources at the Storm Church is this: Reyes's problem is extremely complex, even involving the royal family of the Kaman Empire!"

"The Gonzalez family, the royal family of the Kaman Empire, is actually the largest wizarding family in the Kaman Empire, and the current emperor, Rayman III, is a second-level wizard!"

Upon hearing Margaret's recount of this news, Connor's expression did not show much surprise. What Margaret said was a secret to ordinary wizards or common people, but in the world of formal wizards, it was an open secret. Connor had heard about these things after he broke through to become a formal wizard.

If you think about it carefully, you can understand why the imperial family could maintain its superior position amidst the vortex of the Earth God Cult, the Storm Church, and the military if it did not possess extraordinary power.

In fact, not only the imperial family, but also the hereditary nobles at the top of the noble pyramid in the Kaman Empire, all possess extraordinary power, and they are the true maintainers of the noble world order!

Seemingly about to get to the heart of the matter, Margaret paused to gather her thoughts before continuing, "Connor, as you know, Lemanor III is now over a hundred years old and has reigned for fifty-seven years. According to custom, he's nearing the end of his reign. Rumors also suggest he's reached the pinnacle of Second-Level Wizardry and is preparing to break through to Third-Level Wizardry. So, from any perspective, Lemanor III's reign is entering its final countdown..."

"Therefore, the royal family has not yet reached a consensus on the issue of the heir to the throne. This matter is not only brewing within the royal family, but has also affected various forces within the Kaman Empire, and Connor, your mentor Reyes is one of these forces!"

"My information from within the Church of Storms is that the competition for the next emperor's position within the royal family is extremely fierce. The eight potential successors are all vying for power, and two of them are considered the most likely candidates to become the next emperor of the empire: the third prince, Ragusa González, and the eighth prince, Capeluzzo González!"

"Although these two princes are vying for the throne, they actually represent a group, or even a class, behind them!"

"The Third Prince Ragusa's birth mother, Natalia Felix, is a member of the Felix family and the younger sister of the current head of the family, Grand Duke João Felix. And as you know, Grand Duke Felix is ​​one of the leaders of your hereditary noble class, enjoying extremely high prestige among them. Therefore, with Grand Duke Felix's help, the hereditary noble class has reached a consensus to fully support the Third Prince Ragusa in becoming the next Emperor of the Kaman Empire!"

"As for Jennifer, the mother of the Eighth Prince Capeluzzo Gonzalez, although she only comes from a middle-class background and doesn't have the prestigious status of Natalia Felix with the Felix family to rely on, she is no pushover either. She is very ambitious. Right after Capeluzzo was born, she asked our Storm Church to arrange for Cardinal Hummels, the most likely candidate to become the next Pope, to baptize Capeluzzo and become his godfather!"

"The fact that the Cardinal of the Storm Church is the godfather of an imperial prince, or even the next emperor, is a considerable political bargaining chip. It not only increases the chances of Archbishop Hummels succeeding to the papacy, but also expands the influence of the Storm Church over the Kaman Empire."

"Therefore, both our church and Cardinal Hummels himself readily accepted Jennifer's request. It is because of this relationship that our Storm Church became Capeluzzo's backer and his greatest asset in becoming the next Emperor!"

"So now the supporters behind the Third Prince are the hereditary nobles, while the supporters behind the Eighth Prince are the Church of Storms. In order to ensure victory in the struggle and allow Capeluzzo to sit on the throne, Cardinal Hummels actually pulled the Earth God Church, which has always been neutral, to support Capeluzzo. The two sides are already fighting fiercely for their own interests, and have fought each other in secret countless times."

"As for the hereditary nobles, they are still slightly weaker than the two major churches in terms of power, but they are not willing to accept defeat. They have also gathered many friends to fight against the two major churches. Among them are some people from the Imperial Army, as well as some black wizard organizations that have very close ties with the hereditary nobles!" Margaret's tone became somewhat heavy at the end, clearly realizing the seriousness of the situation.