Jet chuckled.
"Just that much leverage won't be enough. Well... most likely.”
Sunny nodded.
"Yes. But that is only because discrediting the government is merely a secondary goal of the entire affair."
Kal frowned, then asked him somberly:
"What is the primary goal, then?"
Sunny sighed behind the mask.
"You know, there are a lot of nasty rumors flying around the Song Domain about Clan Valor. How people from the Sword Domain are monopolizing resource shipments from the waking world to make their lives more miserable. How most of the elders of Valor, including the King of Swords himself, have been taken by the Skinwalker. How people there are suffering under the tyranny of corrupt Legacies, and cry out to the heavens for help."
He leaned back and shrugged.
"Of course, plenty of such rumors are spreading about Clan Song in the Sword Domain, as well. The Queen of Worms is a rotten fiend, she kills innocent people to enslave them into her undead army, the Song sisters feed on human blood stuff like that. All these rumors are false, naturally... well, except that last one. That one might actually be true. In any case, they are carefully prepared and spread by both sides, for a single purpose"
An expression of disgust appeared on Kal's face. He remained silent for a few moments, then uttered through gritted teeth:
“...Justification."
Sunny nodded.
"Indeed. The Great Clans need to warm up the populace to the Idea of war. Not only the masses, but also the Awakened warriors who will be fighting on the frontlines. I am sure there is a version of it for the vassal clans, as well, not that those have a lot of choice when it comes to obeying the Sovereigns. So... for those of you who are fond of history... you must know what casus belli is."
The faces of several people in the room darkened. Effie coughed.
"Casus belli... sure. We all know it, of course. But to those of us who don't... can you explain? Please?"
Sunny was tempted to tell her to ask her husband for an explanation, but held himself back. Instead, he said in an emotionless tone:
"Sure. There is not much to explain. Casus belli is just a fancy term for justification. An official reason given when starting a war. An assassination of a royal is more than enough reason to drown the world in blood. In fact, this exact scenario was used before to do just that."
He chuckled coldly,
"Honestly, I would have expected Valor to actually kill one of their Saints in order to have a more solid claim. But either someone among them is growing soft, or they can't allow themselves to lose even a single Transcendent before the war. l?ght~nоvel~world~c`о/m. In any case... someone attempts to kill Changing Star, humanity's favorite Saint, and both of the main suspects just happen to be from the Song Domain. One of them is even conveniently unavailable for questioning. This is more than enough ground to spin a pretty tale."
Sunny sighed.
"As for the fact that none of the government soldiers had died, which is unlike how ruthless Morgan usually acts... that is the result of a shrewd calculation, as well. If the purpose of the assassination attempt is to make Clan Valor look like the wronged party, then wouldn't it be counterproductive to make the government suffer more losses than Clan Valor did? Who would look like the true victim then? So, it was all part of the plan."
His cold voice echoes in the room, sounding more than a little bit sinister. As everyone was digesting his words silently, Sunny laughed.
"Well... at least that is how I would have done it. With more flair, of course."
Nephis looked at him somberly, not saying anything.
Eventually, though, she spoke in an even tone:
"So.., they had someone pretend to try and kill me while using the method that would point at someone serving Ki Song. This gives them the ammunition they need to both declare war and maintain the illusion of righteousness... eventually. And, as an added bonus, they even get a chance to pressure the government into making concessions, or even joining their side entirely."
He nodded.
"More or less."
Nephis sighed and looked away.
She remained silent for a while, then said quietly:
"Well... good. It plays into our hand, actually. If I become the catalyst for the start of the war, it would only be logical for me to be the one to end it."
At that moment, Cassie spoke, her voice a little grim:
"If they are already moving so openly, then it seems that we have even less time than we thought. I'm afraid... that some of our plans will have to be accelerated, or even abandoned entirely.
Sunny scowled behind the mask.
‘Yeah. Like me forging a sword for Nephis, I doubt I can make it in time... can I?'
Nephis gritted her teeth.
"It has been a long time coming. All we can do is prepare ourselves the best we can. When Song and Valor go to war.. the only side that shall win is us She looked at the people gathered at the room, her gaze settling on Sunny.”
Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Or, we'll die. Lord Shadow, that favor I owe you... you'd better call it in soon. You might not get the chance later."
He crossed his arms and stared back at her.
‘Who gave you permission to die?’
Sunny smiled slightly behind the mask, then said in a cold tone:
"...You are too weak right now. Become stronger first."
Nephis remained silent for a moment, then chuckled.
"Alright. If you insist that I become stronger... it seems that I have no other choice. I will."
Soon after that, the secret meeting ended. The members of the cohort left - some openly, some in secret. Sunny himself simply crossed the border between the realms, returning to the Nameless Temple. There was a lot for him to do.
Outside the manor of the Immortal Flame clan...
The engines of war were churning, and the world was moving on.