“Collection of Commission Records from 54 BE [Balanced Era]?” Aurelius wondered, checking out the labels on the box with curiosity.

  The shelf that he had been checking and labeling was a collection of documents from the early Commission years. He had moved over to this section of the archive, parsing through the obscure labeling systems that were in place in hopes of finding out more about the Fae.

  So what was this about a trial for Pultris? Were they referring to the djinn that his contract had been notarised by?

  Aurelius frowned to himself, wondering if the title was about just someone similar to the djinn. Regardless, his curiosity was certainly piqued now, and he decided to open up the box to learn more about this mysterious document.

  The box was slightly dusty, and filled with the smell of bureaucracy. Even with the magic climate systems running in the archives, it seemed that 300 years was still a little too much time to stave off the aging process of paper fully.

  “Koff koff.” Aurelius coughed, his nostrils invaded by the thin coating of dust that had settled long ago in the box of oxidising folders.

  Aurelius pulled his index finger down the documents settled in the box expertly, and located the folder that he had been searching for.

  Pulling the folder out, he found the document nestled inside with its full title plastered on its cover page: Records on the Sentencing of the Criminal Pultris on Account of Unbecoming Misuse of Authority.

  Unbecoming misuse of authority? Aurelius wondered.

  And with renewed interest, Aurelius started to read…

  ???

  Lazan Politia, the Divine Shield of Atlac was one of the trusted aides of Hero Rodric, a celebrated defender of humanity in the battle against the Fae.

  Wielding the weapons of the Church of Blasphemy, Lazan Politia stood at the front lines of the Greenwich war together with Hero Rodric as a warrior and defender.

  And through the hardship and horrors of the Greenwich war, Lazan lived into the blossoming era of the Commission, and was trusted with the title of senior advisor in its early blooms.

  After the death of Rodric, Lazan would continue his great legacy until his retirement in 13 BE, and subsequent death in the 15th a mere 2 years later.

  The man had stood alongside the greatest of the generation of the Greenwichs, and delivered humanity to the Era of Balance through fearless battle and humility in power.

  His grandson, on the other hand, was a different story.

  Pultris Politia was born in a peaceful era, inheriting the last name of one of the great champions of the Greenwich war.

  With decadent upbringing, the man was thoroughly connected by his 30s through all manners of the emerging political environment across the new era, leveraging his family name to his advantage.

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  He was well regarded by high society, and liked by friends for his sociable and well mannered nature befitting that of nobility.

  That was of course, not to mention his absurd talent at magic.

  Traditionally, mages in the previous eras took pride on the path of physical applications of magic, leaving the majority of magic users mastering the physical applications of magic. After all, physical applications of magic were more suitable for battles and war.

  However, Pultris boldly took the path of an abstract magic user, as he understood the changing dynamics and demands of magic the new era brought.

  And he excelled at his chosen path.

  It would be absurd to dismiss his amazing intuition when it came to his magical prowess and progress even taking into account the kind of magical knowledge and mentors that the man had through his connections.

  He had attained the level of a 2 layered High mage by his mid-20s, a rather impressive achievement for his time.

  And by this time, the Commission had elected 2 Archsages, establishing itself as the spearhead of the new order of the world.

  As the treaties and laws proposed by Rodric came into effect, nobles and royals separated themselves from magic, establishing the start of the Magic Families.

  That meant that the nobility became weak and unstable, and numerous Magic Families surrendered their power to the bureaucracies of the Commission.

  The Magic Commission essentially rose as the single most powerful organisation in all 3 continents. As the ones deciding the future direction of the world, and the ones deciding direction for commoners and nobles alike.

  And in this blossoming era of power and opportunity, Pultris entered the Commission.

  In his youth, Pultris was rather progressive in his ideals, pushing against the murmurs of restarting the slave trade, and establishing himself as a populist figure aligned with the interest of commoners.

  Even as a low and mid ranking Commissioner, Pultris managed to capture the hearts of the public through his connections and surname.

  And he coasted along to the seats of power in record time.

  How could he not? He had thoroughly greased the wheels of influence through his connections, and made a net of rising stars in the world with keen eyes.

  Not only that, he had managed to climb to the level of an archmage by his early 40s, and became on the cusp of attaining sagehood as a prodigy of the era.

  The man was a natural politician, creating a base of support within the Commission with ruthless efficiency, getting rid of political liabilities and oppositions effortlessly and allying himself with the right people at exactly the right times.

  Riding the tide of wins and power plays, the man eventually ended up as the single most powerful individual in the 3 continents.

  He became the Commission itself.

  The position of Secretary General was taken by Pultris without even an ounce of effort. The Commission itself was filled with his supporters, and public support was overwhelming for the charming prodigy descended from the hero of the Greenwich War.

  And of course, he had the support of every noble and magic families behind him. At least, for a time.

  It was certainly true that the Commission was built on the noble intentions of Hero Rodric, and created under the watchful eyes of his successors.

  However, it truly does not take long for corruption to seep into power.

  It started with small reconstruction contracts becoming misappropriated, special favours given to nobility for their contributions on the side, and regulations becoming ignored for the sake of accelerated development.

  Could Pultris ever have climbed to power by suppressing the corruption?

  Of course not. He bathed in it.

  He was groomed into power through the hands of money and political capital, and raised in the halls of power. And naturally, he relished in the glory of power, dishing out favours and under the table deals to all manner of people.

  The public facade of a humble, honest prodigy maintained through his surname, and the details of his secret dealings kept quiet through bribes and contracts.

  At least, that was the case until the 3rd year into Pultris’s term.

  So how does a man like that fall?

  It was simple. He crossed a line he shouldn’t have.

  The absolutely ridiculous man, one of the most powerful individuals in history, just couldn’t keep it in his pants…

  The man groped a powerful Noble.

  To be specific, the future Empress of Aethernalis, Runae Aethernalis.