# Chapter 6: The Spider's Web
Haruto's rebellion, now calling themselves the "Shadow Guard," began not with open warfare, but with information. Haruto used his shadow magic to infiltrate royal outposts, not to kill, but to listen. Shadows could cling to walls and whisper secrets back to him. They discovered the King's scheme was more sophisticated than mere propaganda; he had a secret pact with a faction of the Demon Army. The "attacks" were a false flag operation: the King provided strategic targets, and the demons raided them, creating a perpetual state of fear that kept Alistair in power and supplied the demons with resources. Lyra, using her knowledge of ancient lore, identified the demon faction's leader, a cunning strategist named Vorlak who valued contracts above all else. Haruto realized they couldn't just expose the King; they had to obtain the physical pact—a blood-bound contract—to prove his treason not just to the people, but to the entire Demon Army, thereby shattering the alliance.
# Chapter 7: A Fractured Past
Driven by the need for a powerful ally, Lyra led Haruto to the reclusive Sun Elves, a tribe that had severed ties with her own forest-dwelling kin centuries ago. She revealed her own hidden heritage: she was the disowned daughter of the Sun Elf chieftain, exiled for advocating peace with humans. The reunion was hostile. Her father, Chieftain Lorian, saw Haruto's shadow magic as an abomination and Lyra's return as a ploy. To gain his aid, Haruto submitted to the "Trial of Lumina," a test that forced him to confront the darkness within his own soul. Instead of fighting it, he accepted it as part of himself, demonstrating that light and shadow must coexist. He emerged not as a pure being of light, but as a balanced one, earning Lorian's grudging respect and the strategic support of the Sun Elf archers and seers.
# Chapter 8: The Gilded Cage
The plot thickened when Haruto's shadows overheard a critical piece of information: his former classmate, Akari, the healer, had become a reluctant guest of the King. Wracked with guilt over Haruto's banishment, she had voiced her doubts publicly. The King, fearing her influence, placed her under "protective custody" in a gilded palace suite, using her as a PR tool to show his "compassion" while secretly planning to force her into a marriage with his son to cement his legacy. Haruto saw a dual opportunity: rescue an ally and deal a massive blow to the King's credibility. The Guard orchestrated a daring, public rescue during a royal festival. Using shadow decoys and Sun Elf illusions, they made it appear as if Akari vanished into thin air in front of thousands of citizens, turning the King's propaganda event into a spectacle of his incompetence.
# Chapter 9: The Traitor's Gambit
With Akari safely returned, she confirmed Haruto's suspicions and revealed a crucial detail: their powerful classmate, Yuto (the lightning wielder), wasn't just loyal to the King; he was Alistair's illegitimate son. His power and position were the King's ultimate insurance policy. Yuto, desperate for his father's approval, was the one who had secretly identified Haruto as a threat during the summoning, fearing his shadow magic could see the truth of their bloodline. This changed everything. A direct assault was now impossible. Instead, Haruto devised a psychological gambit. Using his refined magic, he projected illusions and whispers to Yuto, not of fear, but of the King's private contempt for him, revealing that Alistair saw him only as a useful tool, not a son. They sowed seeds of doubt that eroded Yuto's fanatical loyalty.
# Chapter 10: The Unmasking
The final act was set at the annual "Day of Unity," where the King would give a speech condemning the "Shadow Demon" and his rebels. Haruto and the Guard didn't plan to attack. They planned to replace the King's prepared speech. As Alistair stood before the nation, the massive, embroidered banner behind him cast a shadow on the wall. Haruto, hidden nearby, merged with this shadow. When the King began to speak, his voice echoed from his lips, but the shadow on the wall moved out of sync, its mouth speaking the true words of his pact with Vorlak. The King stood frozen, his own shadow betraying him as it reenacted the secret signing ceremony. In the ensuing chaos, a conflicted Yuto, his will broken by Haruto's campaign of doubt, hesitated to defend his father. This hesitation was all the proof the royal guards needed. Seeing their hero's uncertainty, they stood down. King Alistair the Third was arrested not by rebels, but by his own palace guard for high treason, his power broken by the very shadows he had sought to banish. Haruto had won not by becoming a king, but by forcing the kingdom to see the truth.