Chapter 112
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112
I didn't know much about the history of the Empire and its Imperial Family. But even I could tell that the Crimson Crown Prince was an imperial of a peculiar sort.
High society in the Empire was rigid. Nobles with full-body prosthetics lived for nearly two centuries, and it was said that living that long dulled one's emotions. Even setting that aside, emotional restraint was considered a noble virtue. As a result, in a society steeped in solemnity, suppressed desires pooled and festered, rotting away from within.
As if directly defying this atmosphere, the Crimson Crown Prince freely displayed his emotions despite being an imperial. He treated those around him with bright smiles and refreshing eloquence.
...Just as he was doing to me right now.
"The Imperial Guards are always so reliable. Don't you agree, Lucaus?"
Fransek said, adjusting his crimson collar. Despite my status as a mere cadet, I stood right at his side.
At the front of the parade rolled ground vehicles—military armored cars and quadrupedal tracked machines. Along the perimeter, two-wheeled vehicles held their formation at precise intervals.
Whirrrr!
Over a hundred deployed large drones swarmed the sky, forming a dense grid. Each drone was large enough to carry a single person.
The drones monitored the crowds surrounding the parade, ready for any contingency. Inside the mobile command vehicle, an immense volume of data was surely being processed to coordinate Fransek's protection.
Roughly three hundred soldiers, including fifty Imperial Guards, marched in the parade, along with about a hundred androids. Trailing behind them were several nobles from prominent families and various high-ranking officials.
He's using this parade to cement his position as the successor.
Starting from the entrance of the Imperial Palace, the parade moved along the Circulation Road of the Upper District.
The Circulation Road formed a massive ring around the Upper District. Countless roads, large and small, branched off from it, reaching every corner of the district. Given the sheer scale of the parade, we could only travel along the Circulation Road itself. As time passed, both sides of the road grew packed with crowds who had gathered to watch.
The parade advanced as slowly as its enormous size demanded. Fransek waved to the crowd.
Whirrrr!
A large lens on the vehicle at the center of the procession hummed to life. A hologram of Fransek's live image rose upward, towering like a giant.
"Waaaaaaah!"
The hologram seized everyone's attention. Cheers and gasps erupted.
"Lord Fransek! We love you!"
"The Crimson Crown Prince!"
"Look at me! Over here!"
A few people tried to cross the barricades with almost unsightly desperation. Soldiers and Imperial Guards shoved them back, keeping them in line.
Sssss.
My breath slowly escaped through my respirator filter. I wore a helmet that completely covered my face.
There were many in Akbaran who wanted me dead. There was no need to expose my face to the public during the parade. And it would be troublesome if someone from the Lower District recognized me.
Clearing his throat, Fransek began his speech.
"We... founded our Empire in an environment that was far from blessed. The land was barren, the waters ran dry, and resources were always scarce. It was true on the Ark Planet, and it remains true here on Novas."
As he spoke, Fransek made grand gestures with his hands and arms. His voice boomed through the speakers of the widely scattered drones.
"The Bellato, who seized possession of our mother world, Earth, and the Kora, who began on Planet Corta, a world as bountiful as Earth..."
Fransek closed his eyes and pressed a hand over his heart. He paused briefly before continuing.
Most of the speech dwelt on how the Bellato and the Kora had persecuted the Akresia Empire. It was a narrative I had heard countless times.
The Bellato were descendants of those on Earth who had driven us out. The Kora were descendants of the wealthy class who had settled on Corta, often called the second Earth.
That was why the Akresia Empire hated the Bellato and the Kora. We, the citizens of the Empire, were the descendants of those who had been persecuted and exiled from Earth. Our ancestors had been banished to the Ark Planet, a place unfit for survival—and worse still, forced to serve as an economic colony.
"Those who went beyond persecution to outright exploitation... now have the gall to call us the source of all conflict, warmongers who destroy the peace. The only reason we ever fought was to survive; it was never war for the sake of war. Yet, blind to their own sins, they cast the blame on us."
Fransek's speech was compelling. His gestures were precise, his intonation perfectly measured. Thanks to his superb delivery, his words carried a deep resonance.
"Those detestable bastards look at us and say we are consumed by nothing but hatred—as if we are the ones in the wrong! But they are the clear perpetrators. And we are the descendants of the persecuted and the plundered. Revenge is our birthright, and they bear the responsibility of facing our hatred and wrath!"
Fransek clenched his fist. Where did the truth end, and where did the lies begin?
The hatred the Crimson Crown Prince cried out spread like wildfire. The older, high-ranking nobles kept their expressionless faces. But the young nobles and vassals who hadn't yet lived half a century, along with the people from the Lower District, responded as though infected by that hatred.
"Uwoooooooah!"
The crowd's cheers were wild and fierce, like an army on the brink of battle.
The atmosphere grew heated. Fransek had a gift for public speaking. Above all, because he openly displayed his emotions—unlike most high-ranking nobles—his words struck all the deeper.
The parade through the Upper District was a success. With security this tight, guarding him was easy. No matter where I looked, there was no one with an unverified identity.
The security chief for this parade was Iskan. He approached Fransek and murmured in a low voice.
"Do you still intend to head into the Lower District?"
"You state the obvious. I am well aware of the grim atmosphere lately. But that is precisely why I must not avoid it."
Fransek spoke words that could have come straight from a textbook on Imperial Studies.
"...Understood."
Giving up on persuading him, Iskan nodded. He shot me a look that seemed to say, I'm counting on you, before stepping back.
Fransek and I stood atop the largest and tallest vehicle in the parade. Safety was paramount, but it was equally important for the public to have a clear view of him.
Above all, the public must never get the impression that the Crown Prince of the Empire was hiding among his subordinates. The founder of the Empire, the First Emperor Dino Cracia, had fought the enemy at the very front.
It was no different now. I was the only one standing beside Fransek. The other Imperial Guards kept their distance below the vehicle, remaining on high alert.
We completed a full lap around the Upper District's Circulation Road. The parade halted at the gateway connecting the Circulation Road to the Central Road of the Lower District, and a break followed.
I took a breather too, staring at the gateway.
The gateway was wide enough for more than ten large vehicles to pass through at once, though only a portion of its checkpoint stood open. Cargo vehicles moved back and forth through the open passage—this was an entrance for logistics transport.
The Central Road, extending from the gateway, cut straight through the Lower District and ran all the way outside Akbaran. But the Central Road wasn't meant for the people of the Lower District. It was strictly a route designed to shuttle external goods smoothly to the Upper District. As such, it connected directly to airports and train stations.
"Vehicles 7 through 13, head back for maintenance. Is the reinforcement still not here? What are those idiots doing?"
In the distance, officers hurried about. Even during the break, only a few could actually rest.
The officers were scaling down the parade—by Fransek's order.
"Today, we will take a different route than usual. I plan to visit here, here, and all the way to this point. The roads will grow narrower."
Fransek pointed at a holographic map before the officers and administrators—squares and certain streets in the Lower District where crowds frequently gathered. Reluctance washed over the faces of those listening.
Yet no one dared argue against Fransek's firm tone. Only someone of Iskan's standing, the security chief, could even attempt a suggestion. And even then, if it was rejected once, he gave up and complied. There was never a second attempt.
It was a scene that laid bare Fransek's absolute authority.
They have no choice but to obey, even when the demands are unreasonable.
Publicly, Fransek was the undisputed Crown Prince. He was also immensely popular with the masses. No one could oppose him.
Having finished his discussion with the officers, Fransek returned to my side. He stood out anywhere, thanks to his crimson attire.
"Lucaus, you're from the Lower District as well, aren't you?"
"I'm what they call an Irregular."
"I like people like you. That's why I like Iskan, too. It is not the nobles who sustain the Empire, but Irregulars like yourselves."
His claim of liking Irregulars seemed genuine.
"When praise runs too excessive, it starts to sound like a lie, Your Highness."
I replied cynically. Fransek would likely prefer this kind of reaction. And I was right.
Fransek laughed heartily and even placed a hand on my shoulder.
"It's no lie. There is no such thing as fair opportunity in this world. Life is unequal. The Empire is no different. It may sound subversive, but it is the undeniable truth. In fact, claiming that fairness and equality exist is the real deception."
For a brief moment, Ilay came to mind. Right now, Fransek bore a strange resemblance to the Ilay of the past. The substance of his words was remarkably alike.
Unbothered, Fransek went on.
"Because Irregulars like you rise from the bottom, piercing upward like an awl, the system holds and society stays stable. It is an unfair and unequal world... but because there are those who rise above harsh circumstances, people fall into the illusion of fairness and cling to the hope that they, too, might make it. It is physically impossible for everyone to live in abundance. But we can give everyone hope. That is the role of a ruler."
It was a relief I was wearing a helmet. I'd been genuinely impressed, and my eyes had widened.
I recalled Kinuan's words. And my mouth borrowed them.
"People live on hope, not despair."
It was something Kinuan had once said. Fransek nodded in satisfaction.
"Only with hope can one endure misfortune."
Fransek was a picture-perfect ruler. Idealistic, yet not unrealistic.
It was a chaotic world. Order harbored chaos, and chaos possessed order.
It was hard to say what to believe and what to hate. Willpower was merely a fleeting phenomenon born of electrical signals and chemical reactions. In that sense, a steadfast will was nothing but an illusion.
...If so, what should I use as my guide to move forward?
"Today, we'll venture deep into the Lower District. I thought it would be a good opportunity. Well, to be honest, I received some advice from my brother. He said that visiting during dangerous times would leave a deeper impression on the people. Though he's my younger brother, he's a thoughtful fellow, and I rely on his help in many ways. You'll meet him someday."
A flash of realization tore through my mind. The puzzle pieces snapped into place all at once.
Ivan Cracia.
The brother Fransek spoke of was, without a doubt, Ivan. Ivan had steered Fransek deep into the Lower District.
In the Lower District—today, perhaps tomorrow. And if not, then in the near future.
Even if I didn't want to know, I would soon come to understand the mission Ivan had entrusted to me. And it would likely be something I did not want to do.
"We are ready to pass through the gateway."
Iskan approached us. Fransek and I looked down at the road ahead. The downsized procession was aligned with mathematical precision.
Whirrrr.
The gates of the gateway swung open, and Fransek's parade departed the Upper District, advancing onto the Central Road of the Lower District.