The following morning, the people of Aranor gathered in the town square to cast their votes and elect the new mayor.It was a diverse multitude consisting of humans, merfolk, dwarves, elves, and even a few woodland nymphs. Apart from the commoners, the four noble houses were also present there.Lord Cornelius and his wife were joined by the Du Vaine household whose head, Lord Arnold Du Vaine still held power over the mayor’s office for now.Lord Wilhelm and his son Jasenki arrived shortly, accompanied by the other members of their house consisting of his second wife, Lady Mariana, and her younger son, Kyson Morelis. The Romanovs were the last to arrive, but they were missing one member. Although the other nobles did not mind Ramel’s absence, the commoners were eagerly waiting for their favored knight to make an appearance.“Where’s Sir Ramel?” one of the young lads asked.“Maybe he is still busy with his training,” another piped.“He never trains alone and I haven’t seen him in a whi

As the three noble families met in the middle of the town square, things quickly became tense, and the townsfolk started chattering among themselves.“We don’t remember inviting you. Surely, as residents of Stonewell City, you have no role to play in today’s election,” Aurelia said.Lord Lucius smiled at her words and straightened his tie. “But my Lady, you forget that I am a businessman, and this town presents quite an attractive business opportunity. I am not here to make friends. I am here to support Lord Wilhelm and his family.”“You have no business interfering in this election,” Aurelia retorted. “You may be a Vice Patriarch of Dragon Claw, but you are still not welcome to influence the results of the general election.”Lord Lucius ignored Aurelia’s remarks and turned to look at Ezra. “I am not here to interfere in the elections. I am here to ensure that your dear brother keeps his promise.”“What promise?” Aurelia asked.“Lord Ezra Romanov promised to duel with Lord Jasenki More

Lord Cornelius put his finger on the trigger and started counting aloud so that everyone standing there could hear the timer.“Five….four….three….two….one!”On the count of one, he pulled the trigger, firing a magic round into the sky.Bang!As soon as they heard the gunshot, Ezra and Jasenki spun around and turned to face each other. Jasenki was a little slow to react, allowing Ezra to score the first shot. Ezra fired his enchanted six-shot revolver, greeting his rival with a hail of normal bullets.“Is that the best you got?” Jasenki mocked as he activated his Bulletproof Armor skill to block the bullets. “Come on, Ezra! Try again! Surely you can do better!”Ezra reloaded his revolver with magic rounds and unleashed six quick shots in Jasenki’s direction. The pale blue barrier erected in front of Jasenki buzzed and distorted as the magic rounds struck its mid-section. But Jasenki clenched his fist, pooling all his magic energy into his arm to fortify the shield.Once more, Ezra’s s

The crowd erupted into cheers, with Ivan shouting at the top of his lungs and pumping his fist in the air.“I told you Lord Ezra was going to win! He is going to become the best Gunner in all of Valaria someday!” the dwarf cried out ecstatically.“He is truly a force to be reckoned with,” another lauded.“We should have never doubted Lord Ezra after he won the hunt,” another added.Even with all the cheers and shouts of support around him, Ezra’s uncle did not seem too pleased by the outcome of the duel. “I swear that cripple could not even hit a sack of grains before. How did he become so powerful so suddenly?”Lord Sebastian and Aurelia applauded the loudest, their faces colored with proud smiles.Aurelia walked up to Ezra and shook him by his shoulders. “You did it. You really showed that proud dog where he belongs. It was a stunning performance, brother. Your powers are really at their peak.”“But it’s not over yet. Jasenki and his family still have a lot to pay for,” Ezra replied.

Lord Sebastian took charge as the new mayor of Aranor with Aurelia at his side as his chief aide. The town was now firmly under Lord Sebastian’s command, but he still could not make any major civil or military decisions without the support of the three noble houses.After the Great Rebellion, during which the commoners sought to overthrow the landed gentry, the king was compelled to make several changes to the administrative setup. The old feudal system of government with the king as the head and the nobles under this command had worked fairly well for over five centuries. But now, Valaria had adopted a pseudo-democratic form of government. Even though the nobles retained their positions, the administrative officials were now chosen through elections.However, since the nobility still held on to their lands and titles, they exercised considerable power over the cities and towns, and not even the mayors and ministers had the authority to pass new regulations and decrees without consult