Heroes Gather in the Imperial Capital
Imperial Capital, South Gate
Late at night, carriages flying the kingdom’s banners and the soldiers escorting them arrived on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
They were the princess’s party, sent as envoys from the kingdom.
“The Empire really is enormous, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s so vast that the Imperial Family seems to have granted the nobles a fair degree of independent authority.”
Revia nodded at her royal guard’s words.
Unlike the nobles of the kingdom, who had surrendered most of their power to the central government, the Empire’s aristocracy still enjoyed a measure of autonomy.
“Of course they do. Just think how many noble territories we crossed after leaving the border. We even skipped the receptions they offered along the way, and it still took forever to reach the capital. With land this vast, controlling everything from the Imperial Capital would be impossible.”
The kingdom could be crossed in a single day if one pushed hard enough. The Empire? You could ride for days and still not cover it. That was how vast and powerful it was.
“Isn’t that precisely why they’ve been able to support our kingdom all this time?”
“Let’s move. I need to seek an audience with the Emperor.”
People called the Emperor incompetent, yet the Empire kept running smoothly enough. That alone said something.
“Your Highness! Look over there!”
“What is it?”
“A strange group is slipping into the capital through the waterway!”
They were strange indeed. No one with honest intentions would sneak into the Imperial Capital by canal under cover of night.
“I can feel dense demonic energy. Those are Mains!”
“Something’s wrong in the capital! We must warn the Capital Army!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Things were already going sideways. The kingdom’s envoy party sought out the garrison at the South Gate.
“Halt! Who are you and where do you come from?”
“We are the envoy party from the Royal Capital!!”
The declaration that they were royal envoys sent a ripple of agitation through the South Gate defenders—exactly the reaction of men who had not been expecting them.
Then again, they had arrived sooner than planned. Perhaps that explained it.
“We heard the princess’s party was coming. What’s the matter?”
“Intruders have entered through the waterway!”
“Intruders? In that case—”
The man who looked like the South Gate commander raised a hand. Soldiers who seemed to be his subordinates leveled their rifles at the kingdom’s troops in perfect unison.
“Wh-what? Why are the Capital Army—!”
“If we take the princess while we’re at it, that ought to drive a wedge between the Empire and the kingdom.”
The Empire would never try to murder the kingdom’s heir. No matter how reckless the Emperor was said to be, this had to be connected to those intruders—and those intruders were almost certainly rebels.
“Your Highness, this looks like a rebellion!”
A rebellion? Had the Emperor managed to make himself that hated among the nobility?
“Damn it. Soldiers of the kingdom! We cannot stand by and watch an allied nation fall into crisis!”
“But we don’t know the enemy’s strength! We have no idea how much of the Capital Army has turned!”
He was right. The very troops meant to protect the capital had just pointed their guns at a royal envoy party. There was no telling how deep the rot went.
The escort alone would not be enough. If someone intended to overthrow the Imperial Family, they needed a house whose loyalty to the throne was absolute.
“I’ve heard that more than half the Capital Army’s officers come from Ashtar. Not all of them, of course. Just in case—Maltiel, go to Ashtar and bring reinforcements!”
She would send Maltiel to Ashtar.
“Sister, are you certain?”
“We have no choice. I cannot ignore an ally’s crisis when it is right in front of me! If I fall, you must live and prepare for the kingdom’s future! Shield-bearers, block those bullets!”
Revia sent Maltiel racing toward Ashtar, then drew her sword and charged the rebel lines.
Imperial Capital, East Gate
At the East Gate, Princess Amelia—who had spent long years living among the barbarian tribes—finally returned to the capital.
The region was not particularly far, so the journey itself had not taken long. That did not mean she had wanted to make it.
“It’s been a while since I last saw the capital.”
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
Amelia stretched at her adjutant’s reply. Near and far at the same time—that was exactly how it felt.
“My master is far too heartless, leaving her disciple behind to go take charge of Crad Castle.”
“Well, at least you’ll be able to see the young lady of Ashtar, won’t you?”
That much was true. Master going off to Crad Castle could not be helped, but she would still get to meet an old friend.
“Yes. Meeting an old comrade.”
“And His—Her Majesty?”
“Why would I want to see that meddlesome old hag? I’d rather not.”
If she went, all she would find was a woman who refused to act her age, lounging around in some corner of the palace.
“Even so, for someone of Her Majesty’s standing—”
“What?”
“Nothing. I only meant that Her Majesty is still a blazing sun, is she not?”
“Does the exterior matter? What’s inside is what counts. Mother is hopeless.”
She had always thought so. Looks were irrelevant. Character was everything. How could an emperor—no, how could any woman—fail so completely to behave with proper dignity inside the Imperial Palace?
If she insisted on living like that, she ought to quit being emperor, take a military post like Amelia herself, or else vanish somewhere no one would ever find her.
“Then perhaps Your Highness should succeed to the throne—”
Amelia’s face twisted at the adjutant’s suggestion. That was pure nonsense. Succeed to the throne?
“Have you lost your mind? Honestly, no matter who sits on the throne the Empire runs on the council. One person stuck in the palace is more than enough—my mother.”
Life was far too short to waste on that nonsense.
“I suppose that’s true.”
“See? That’s why an emperor who’s a woman ends up wandering around half-naked. Lock anyone in there long enough and they go mad.”
Of course, compared to the palaces of the kingdom or the smaller nations, the difference was night and day—but still.
“Well, at least no rebellion has broken out. We’re lucky for that much.”
“No. One just did.”
“Pardon?”
Princess Amelia’s gaze locked onto a single point: the suspicious figures slipping into the waterway near the East Gate.
“Intruders are entering through the East Gate. And the man guarding that gate is staring straight at us. My little brother is in danger.”
What in the world was that mother of hers doing to let things get this bad? More immediately—what the hell was the gate commander doing?
She glanced at the gate. Men who looked like they belonged to the military faction stepped out.
This was taking a very ugly turn.
“If it isn’t Her Highness the Princess!”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Smiling to her face like that? The sheer insolence of it.
“Her Majesty has ordered that Your Highness disarm your troops before entering!”
“Oh-ho.”
What a load of absolute garbage.
Every soul in the Empire knew she had no designs on rebellion. Ordering her to disarm under those circumstances was nothing short of branding her a traitor.
“Don’t spout such rubbish! I know Her Majesty better than anyone. How dare the likes of you stand before me and spew lies!”
“If you insist, then we have no choice but to subdue you by force!”
The princess’s brow twitched. Something had clearly exploded inside the capital. And if they had prepared this thoroughly…
The only ones who came to mind were the nobles. With Ashtar still standing, the most they could have coaxed over would be the troops from territories near the gates—troops they had almost certainly stationed there from the beginning.
So the numbers would not be overwhelming.
In that case, striking first was best. Fire even one volley sooner, minimize the damage, and force their way into the capital. The other side looked prepared to respond, but her own battle-hardened soldiers were stronger.
“What are you standing around for?! Breach the gate!”
“Your Highness, if we do this we’ll be labeled rebels ourselves! Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see how the military command reacts—”
Talk sense, man. That was impossible. The moment they uttered the word “subdue,” the game was already over.
“Look at them. Those are not Ashtar men. If they were, they would never treat us this way.”
“Then… it really is a rebellion?”
“Yes! We break through the gate and go in! We have no cannons, so we have to fire every bullet we can to keep our losses down! Open fire!”
“Yes, ma’am! Soldiers, raise your rifles!”
Amelia’s troops stepped forward and leveled their guns at the Capital Army holding the East Gate.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
At the East Gate, battle erupted between the rebels and Amelia’s forces.
I teleported straight into the Capital Army headquarters inside the Imperial Capital.
“Who goes there?!”
“Someone dares to force their way into Imperial Military Command?!”
Thankfully, a few of them were still awake at this hour. This was no time for admiration, though.
“I am Olivia Lapa Ashtar. Where are you men from?”
“The young lady of Ashtar?”
“Saintess, what brings you all the way here?”
Ashtar men. Good—they recognized me at once and bowed. That was the beauty of sharing a homeland.
I was the young lady of Ashtar, which made me their superior in any case.
“From your reaction, I take it you’re all from Ashtar territory.”
“What’s going on?”
“And the officers from other houses?”
“Now that you mention it… the other commanders haven’t been around all day.”
Idiots. They had grown far too complacent just because they all wore the same Capital Army uniform.
“We interrogated an anti-imperialist captured in Plant Territory. He confessed that the anti-imperialists plan to overthrow the capital. Anyone who already harbored a grudge against Ashtar and the Imperial Family is in on it!”
I got the facts across somehow. They were elites—they would understand exactly what that meant.
“Damn it all. We have to muster the troops!”
“Call up the Capital Army!”
That should do it here. What remained were the Imperial Palace and Atelina. Priority said the palace, but the palace was guarded by maids from the Assassin Guild. Anyone who walked in would be executed on the spot. Besides, they had moved under cover of night; even the minimal palace garrison would not be easily overwhelmed.
I had Celia send Bernoa to guard the church and mobilize the remaining nuns as well.
“So where do we go?”
“You put the teddy bears on it?”
“Of course.”
Must be nice having that kind of lifestyle. Honestly, I was jealous. Maybe I should reclass as a puppet master while I was at it. The problem with human subordinates was that they were still human.
“We’re going to Atelina.”
We would go to Atelina and save the prince.
“What in the world is happening? Strange black figures are invading Atelina!”
“They showed up right on cue. You don’t know what’s going on, I take it?”
The ones entering Atelina were Mains, openly. This was getting a little serious.
I had Celia unleash the teddy bears. The church’s knights would start moving soon as well.
“Why isn’t Claire here?”
“I told her I was planning to visit the territory during the break, so she should stay there.”
Besides, something about Claire still felt off. If my suspicions were correct, there was no reason to leave her here—it would only be a nuisance. Even without Claire, the nuns already in the church were my private soldiers; I had no need for direct help from the Assassin Guild.
We hit the invaders with the teddy bears before they could fully deploy their strength, then went looking for the prince.
“There aren’t as many of them as I expected.”
“They probably sent another force to the palace as well.”
The rebels’ ultimate goal was simply to take out the Imperial Family. That was why they were hitting everything at once—they needed a lightning-fast resolution.
“So they only intend to seize the Imperial Family.”
“That’s more than enough to flip the Empire.”
From the nobles’ perspective, they could stick it to Ashtar at the same time.
“Isn’t this a little excessive against us?”
“Without us, Atelina would have fallen already.”
Truth be told, it was still dangerous. Depending on how you looked at it, if those Mains focused solely on the prince, anything could happen. We also had to consider the possibility that Amelia was being targeted. Whether the rebels actually had the strength to subdue Amelia was another question entirely.
When we reached Atelina, a strange sight greeted us.
“Students, gather at once!”
Oh—there was the prince. Aslan was rounding up the students alongside Yuria.