Kapitel 9: The Twilight Syndicate
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The political situation of the Amber Kingdom was never something easy to understand but the split was so deep that even the Royal Family itself would adopt different political views.
The Three Estates system which the Kingdom followed for 13 generations had long since become broken. Those who still adhere to it are the Crowns, those who want to change it are the Moderates, the Robins, the Radiants and the Vigilants.
The Crowns are most of the Royal Family as well as the majority of the Western Lords controlling the counties in the western part of the Capital. Those counts are in constant struggle with the outside forces of the Amerose Empire and the Nomadic Orcs thus they are mostly militant and extremely strict channeling all their efforts towards the war. They support the continuance of the Feudal System and the Caste System no matter how upset the common folks may get and they also have wide support in the suburban and the rural regions where the Conservative Militant views are popular.
On the other side, The Moderates are the Eastern Dukes but even among them, there is discord. The Big Three Families; Dark, Godfrey and Merlin; have the seats of the Prime Minister, the Spy Master and the Magic Lord yet despite their power, there is a degree of distrust among them. Duke Dark is a Crown despite the common interest of his family as Moderates leaving Duke Godfrey and Duke Merlin staying as neutral as they could get for the sake of quieting things down. Aside from it, a former member of the Royal Family is the Archduchess Eleanor May Ver Amber, now known as Eleanor Godfrey, wife to Duke Godfrey and sister of King August Ver Amber, is an open member of the Moderate Liberal wave who calls for the abolishment of the Three Estates System and supports the right of giving more liberal freedoms to the people.
Aside from the two large factions, the Third faction calls itself the Robin from the name of a martyr freedom fighter Thomas Robin. It has been almost five years since the last famine struck and the people never forgot how it felt that the free thinkers and revolutionaries started calling for change and the complete abolishment of the centralization of power in the hands of the few. The Crowns surely ignored them but the Moderates showed cooperation with the cause to a degree that let them stay in power. The point which still bothers a lot of the Robins. They mostly hold uprisings and demonstrations from time to time but they don't have a true power behind them.
What followed them are the Radiants which is a political faction of far-right Conservatives who are in all favor of supporting the involvement of the Holy Light Temple in politics. They are surely zealots but thanks to the positive view of the Temple and how it can prosecute the Nobles despite being mostly formed from Commoners gave the Radiants a big boost.
Last but not least are the Vigilantes who are very violent despite being neutral. They are the fuel of the uprisings and the rebellious citizens who are eager to cross blades with the authorities any second possible.
These five factions and much more are the current climates of Amber Kingdom. A faction of Crown Loyalists, a Faction of Moderate Liberals, a Faction of Hungry Revolutionaries, a Faction of Radicals Conservatives and a Faction of Defiant Rebels.
If Leon learned anything from his past world's history then it's one thing, the gust is about to be a storm and Revolution would strike.
"Yet amidst all this Chaos, the Royal Family wants Leon's head on a spike? Just what part do I fill?"
One day in the saloon's kitchen and heard all it is to hear about the politics of the Kingdom. It seemed that the place is a hotspot for revolutionary Robins and so is most of the Northern District, this makes the area very troublesome for the knights to look for him since the commoners won't cooperate with their oppressors quite easily.
The Robins, who mostly attach red feathers on top of their hats, were talking fervently about the knight's actions of last night claiming that a fight between the nobles dragged down commoner casualties yet again. They sang revolutionary songs and kept their spirits high for the time of the nearest uprising.
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"Those are some cheerful folks."
Noticing them from the kitchen of the Honey Saloon was Leon who just started his first day at work as a handyman, an occupation referred to by the common most as a Rat.
"Them? The Robins just loiter around here when they have nothing good to do. They keep the money coming though." Jordi replied.
"And who pays them?" Leon asked.
"Some of them are just Rats, Dogs or even Rabbits if they are lucky." Jordi said.
Leon looked at him with criticizing eyes before replying.
"Well, that gets me excited to meet the rest of the Farm Animals."
"Haha!"
The one laughing wasn't Jordi but rather Molly. A middle-aged lady who runs the kitchen.
"Well, ain't ya a cutie for a bumpkin!" She said.
"Been called worse." Leon nonchalantly replied as he pointed the knife down before causing a series of chopping sounds against a wooden board.
"You still cut them too thin. They won't hold out in a pot so much like that." Molly said pointing at the vegetables under the mercy of his knife.
Meanwhile, Jordi was eyeing Leon with hostility because of his position at the moment.
Earlier, Leon and Jordi arrived at the kitchen and started helping out. Jordi wanted to senior Leon in but the latter was really doing well at holding a knife to the point where Molly took Jordi off chopping the veggies and put him in front of the oven.
Jordi would sometimes sneak a few things into his mouth, which no one really minded, but Leon's efficiency was so superior to the point where he was assisting Molly without even asking.
"So, you were saying Dogs and Rabbits and Cats." He asked Jordi.
"No cats."
"Really?"
"Really."
"That's blasphemy!" Leon protested.
"Cats are sacred beasts, you can't just speak badly about them… or so the people of the Temple say." Jordi said.
"Oh! I am starting to like this Temple all of a sudden." Leon reacted with a wide smile.
"Either way, when you hear the word Dog referring to someone in the streets, simply stay clear of them. They are the common thugs." Jordi explained.
"So Rats are the lowest folk like you and me, Dogs are above us?"
"In a way." Molly replied while looking around, "Listen, nothing is what it seems to be here, alright? People don't usually say those things but most of the time a Dog is better than a Rat, other times it is the other way around."
Rather than Jordi and Jessica, this middle-aged chubby lady with a friendly face and a lousy dress seemed more sharing so Leon naturally approached her.
"So what is the difference?" He asked.
"The difference is the Boss they serve. It is better to be a Rat who eats from crumbs a Goat leaves rather than a Dog that follows a Monkey." Molly said.
"So a Rat, a Dog, a Rabbit, a Monkey and a Bull." Leon laughed, "How many left?"
"I don't know. As you already know, the Rat is just a Servant, the Dog is Thug. Unlike the Servants, the Thugs get to choose their Masters." Molly said.
"Oh! I see… I see now."
Leon had this look of understanding on his face. As Molly said, the Rat is like a servant but more of a slave really. The Dog is a soldier in a crime family but not one of importance yet they still get to come and go, surely it is not simple but they have more space than a Rat. A Rat can be a prostitute, a cook, a cleaner, a carrier or anything that pays like shit.
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The name defines the nature of their work just how the Dog defines someone who fights and looks scary, a Thug. Leon thought of the other names but he couldn't understand what a Bull or a Monkey is. Rabbit, on the other hand, was obvious. It is something he is very familiar with and no wonder the talkative Molly didn't mention it.
A rabbit is a nimble guy, fast, scaredy and mostly very perceptive. A thief can fall under the description, a messenger, a runner. Many things are much more interesting than a Rat or a Dog.
This means Rabbit is the upper rank to the two of them and one that sure involves more freedom. Of course he was just assuming and may have misinterpreted the metaphor but this one is very obvious in a way.
But how does one get out of the Rat rank to begin with? Madam Ruth labeled him as one being a Boss and all but there is still more to it. Someone must be stronger than the madam in this scene and Leon started to see what was happening on a larger scale.
Organized Crime.
The word itself had some sense of sexiness into it and as Shady, he had the honor of walking through the most valuable gates of the underworld a few times. He was good at it and can just do it again. In other words, in order to regain the reputation of the Black Cobra, he just needs to start again.
"Such irony!" He murmured while laughing to himself.
"You're saying something?" Molly asked him.
"Nothing… So, tell me, Molly." He looked around to see Jordi gazing at him with narrowed eyes so he tossed the carrot he just peeled to him and continued talking, "Someone with your experience and seniority must have heard a word or two in the past."
"Oh! You flirt." The middle-aged woman smiled at him, "Keep talking."
"With all those rats and dogs roaming around, does this animal kingdom have a name?" He asked.
She smiled.
"I only heard the name a few times but the Bosses sometimes speak of it."
"Yeah?"
"They call themselves… the Twilight Syndicate."
Leon narrowed his brows.
"Spooky."
"Yeah, serious business. Best thing people like us do is to keep our heads down." Molly nodded with an exaggerated tone.
"Yeah, heads down." Leon sneered for a second and looked back outside the kitchen.
Somewhere out there amidst those drunkards, one of them has a thing he needs. Something he can use to get a rank up the ladder.
If this Twilight Syndicate is connected and capable enough, he may be able to do many things using its help. Still, all he needs is an opportunity.
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