Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Fallen Kingdom
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The rebellion that began in a small fiefdom of the Kingdom of Remius spread across the entire nation in the blink of an eye. Every time one opened their eyes, a territory would crumble, nobles would die, commoners would perish, and everything would be consumed by flames, vanishing without a trace. The country, now a cauldron of chaos and madness, had ceased to function.
“Kill them!”
“Drive those bastards out!”
“What are you doing? Drag those scum out!”
The madness that had surged all the way to the capital could no longer be contained by anyone. The more they tried to suppress it, the fiercer the people's rage grew. The soldiers standing at the castle gates fled in terror.
“Argh!”
“Help! Somebody save me!”
The people who ignored the fleeing soldiers joined forces to pry open the gates. Then they began setting fire to them, shouting all the while.
“Put out the fire!”
“Kill them!”
“Pull down those damned things!”
The royals, preoccupied with their succession struggles, had no inkling of the people's discontent or the rebellion. They were too busy stuffing their own bellies. So they were thrown into panic by the sudden news of the uprising.
“Stop them!”
The sight of people charging to kill them was utterly alien. The realization that this was the very civil unrest they had only heard about in tales filled them with dread. The royals handed everything over to the knights and soldiers, attempting to flee through secret passages.
“Your Majesty, we must escape!”
“Where do we go?”
“This way!”
But the palace was surrounded by throngs of people. No matter where they turned, someone came rushing to kill them.
“Ugh, argh!”
“Spare me!”
The royals, who had always looked down on the commoners deep in their hearts, were shocked to see those same people trying to slaughter them indiscriminately. They could only beg for their lives. Yet the mob mercilessly cut down the royals who blocked their path.
“We have to kill them all!”
“Argh!”
“Protect His Majesty!”
“F-Father Emperor!”
This place was already hell. Fires blazed everywhere, sparks flying. Explosions rang out, accompanied by screams and the sounds of blades piercing flesh. But Yukir merely watched it all like a doll.
“There’s a royal over there.”
“Kill her!”
“No! We have to keep that one alive.”
The people who had raised their weapons to strike Yukir down halted at one man’s words. He was the man who had led the people from the start of the rebellion. At his command, they calmed and bound Yukir’s wrists, dragging her along.
“Who’s she?”
“They said not to kill her.”
“Why?”
The crowd buzzed, but the man was resolute. That woman could not be killed. She was a foreigner, and killing her could spell disaster.
“We can’t do that.”
“Let’s keep her alive.”
“So what happens to her now?”
The people’s reactions softened. In that way, the man managed to spare Yukir’s life. Why kill her when she had so much utility?
‘She’s the perfect puppet for us to play with. No way we’re killing her.’
The man’s identity was Leshinka. As soon as Eini—no, Cannivella—completed her mission, Leshinka had been deployed to the Kingdom of Remius operation with his direct subordinates. And the operation was proceeding smoothly, beyond all expectations.
The nation’s systems had collapsed. The nobles and royals, bloated with greed, met their ends. Rivers ran red with blood throughout the land, and it burned with fury. Everyone, filled with resentment, screamed for the deaths of their foes.
And Leshinka loved the sound of it. How could he not feel elation as the dream cherished by all of Aremai came to fruition?
“We killed the royals!”
“Any survivors?”
There were none left alive. Only mangled lumps of flesh littered the surroundings. Even amid the gruesome sight of scattered body parts, Leshinka remained unfazed. He simply calmed the crowd.
“What do we do now?”
“Now that the royals are dead, do we become kings?”
“Really?”
The people murmured. Leshinka smirked. What nonsense. They had a perfectly usable royal right there.
After soothing the crowd, he elevated Yukir to the throne. Just like that, Yukir became queen in an instant. Some grumbled that she was just another royal, but they fell silent at Leshinka’s words.
“So, do you think you can rule this country from now on? You’ll be responsible for everything if you act on your whims. What about policies? What about checks from neighboring kingdoms?”
At those words, they all shut their mouths like they’d eaten honey. It was clearly complex and daunting work—far beyond illiterate folk like them. In the end, they followed Leshinka’s lead and installed Yukir as the new queen.
‘Now the real work begins.’
* * *
Aremai’s executives made no move to interfere as Leshinka led the takeover of the Kingdom of Remius. Watching it unfold, Cannivella was truly astonished that her actions had brought down an entire nation.
“Does it always succeed this easily?”
“Even if it takes time, we advance step by step. That’s our creed.”
“Your mission is aiding our greater cause.”
“I see……”
But she felt nothing. Their ideology of conquering the continent in line with the first Grand Commander’s dying wish struck her as utterly childish folly. She couldn’t fathom what they hoped to gain from it.
Once, revenge had driven her. But as time passed, she realized she had no choice but to abandon it. Now, she simply wanted to escape this place and live as Raiji’s mother.
Yes, that was all.
‘My child……’
Of course, she still yearned for the truth. Who had killed her mother? She had staked her life on uncovering it. But no matter how deeply she dug, it remained hidden from the world. And it was equally perilous.
So she gave it up. Her daughter was too precious. With everyone else dead or betrayed, Raiji was her last remaining family in this world. She would forsake the truth to live with that sole blood tie.
Yet ironically, to protect her, Cannivella had to work diligently within this organization.
“What’s next, Shunkarin? Speak quickly.”
In this colossal organization that was actually achieving the absurd dream of continental conquest.
“Now it’s time for our work.”
Shunkarin smirked and unrolled a map of the Kingdom of Remius. Marks dotted locations from the rebel village to the capital—fiefdoms untouched by the uprising.
“We conquer these.”
“By when?”
“As fast as possible. We move now.”
She barely registered Shunkarin’s various orders. It had little to do with her mission anyway.
“Why is there so much to do?”
“Do you think cleanup is easy?”
“Hey, how am I supposed to manage all this? If my skin gets ruined, you’re taking responsibility?”
She heard Kanna grumbling beside her. The more she dealt with them, the more surprisingly noisy they seemed. The disconnect only grew the more she saw their antics.
“Then we’ll need to appoint nobles too, right? Most died in the rebellion, but are there any rebels worthy of noble titles?”
At her question, Sikaon handed over a list. It was densely packed with names of Aremai operatives embedded among the rebels and other useful individuals.
‘Where do they even find all these people?’
Most were citizens of the Kingdom of Rasoni and Aremai members—bastards, orphans, slum dwellers, and lowborn nobles. Unaware of that, she only noted the flood of recruits into Aremai.
But one thing she knew for certain: with so many joining, the organization was growing relentlessly.
Soon enough, they’d have to reveal themselves. The thought of that day approaching terrified her.
Flipping through documents, a sudden curiosity struck her.
“So, who’s the puppet queen now?”
“Yukir von Remius—formerly Yukir Entir. A noble from the Kingdom of Rasoni.”
“……From the Kingdom of Rasoni? Why was someone like that there?”
“She came as a stand-in after Princess Cannivella fled and vanished.”
A strange unease crept over her alongside her bewilderment. Why was her name coming up here? Did they drag Yukir in as my replacement after I escaped?
She prayed it wasn’t true. But reality was always cruel. Listening to the executives’ conversation, she was horrified inwardly.
“When Princess Cannivella disappeared, it felt like the sky was falling. Who knew it’d turn into a blessing in disguise.”
“Didn’t the Luminir Empire announce she was dead?”
“Do you believe that? No way she’s dead. They probably cut a deal with the Empire.”
“That woman is definitely alive. The Grand Commander said so.”
“Then shouldn’t we find her?”
“Got time for that? No, so she’s just lower priority for now. We’ll get back to it eventually—don’t worry.”
“……”
Countless words passed through her ears. But nothing stuck. Her mind was filled only with thoughts of Yukir.
She felt a crushing guilt toward Yukir, who had sacrificed in her place. Regret threatened to drive her mad. Nausea welled up inside. Toward those who had casually condemned an innocent to hell—and toward herself for remaining ignorant until now.
Yukir must have had dreams too. Born a noble lady of her house, she surely wanted to govern her fief and implement her own policies freely. Yet unbeknownst to her, she had been dragged to a foreign land and treated like a beast.
‘I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to rescue you later……’
She shed bloody tears in her heart. And she etched one more reason onto why Aremai was dangerous, why she must escape, why she must bring them down.
She steeled her resolve once more. Hang in there.