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Perhaps it was a bit late into the conversation, but Hector decided to pick oneof the conference chairs and sit down as he listened.

The King followed suit with barely a pause. "I believe that Charles, atthis point, may have already been in possession of the special object in question."

"Really?"

"Yes, I think his appointment as mediator might just be odd enough to have been instigated via some supernatural means."

"Hmm."

"In any case, the job of the mediators at this time is very important.Though the aristocracy may be loathe to admit it, they need the public's support on grand matters of state such as this, lest they end up havingto fight both a revolutionary war and a civil war simultaneously. Andmoreover, there is no definitive Atreyan royalty yet. The aristocracycan choose anyone to lead them at their own discretion, of course, butif they pick someone who is sufficiently despised by the commoners, then that too might very well result in a quick demise for this fledglingnation."

'Y'know, I really appreciate all these unnecessary-yet-still-relevant-and-interesting details,' said Garovel. 'This is a man after my own heart.'

Hector knew the reaper wasn't being sarcastic.

"And so," the King went on, "Domitrus Lumenbel emerges as a candidate for rule. He has both the pedigree and disposition for it. We know now,of course, that he went on to become Atreya's first king, but he wasnot without competition. His foremost rival in this endeavor is Linus Vollier, and in the competition between these two men, Charles becomes a significant factor. You see, there is a tournament being held inBrighton." The King paused again, apparently remembering. "Yourhometown, no?"

"Oh, uh, actually, I was born in Selbury," said Hector. "But my familymoved around a lot when I was younger, so... uh, I don't really... feel like I have a hometown, I guess." After a beat, he felt compelled to add, "I do like Gray Rock so far, though."