Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Empire (6)
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In the original story, the Empress was completely unaware of the Red Star's existence.
That was why she met his end assassinated at the banquet hall.
But the Empress before my eyes now was different.
She already knew of their existence.
I instantly switched my expression.
Even after eleven years of just gripping a sword and fighting, managing my face wasn't difficult.
While controlling my expression, I continued my thoughts in the back of my mind.
At this point, the fact that the Empress knew about the Red Star meant the original story had already gone off the rails.
I put off figuring out what had derailed the original story.
'Why bring it up now?'
Starting with the lack of a dukedom was her way of saying she'd planned this from the moment she bestowed the ducal rank.
I quickly understood what the Empress intended.
It was a proposal: deal with the nobles tied to them, and she'd hand over their territories to me.
I swiftly scanned the Empress's expression.
Her face, shrouded by the veil, was unreadable.
"I've never heard of them."
The Empress stared straight through me before quietly smiling.
As if it didn't matter either way.
"You might not know of them. The Red Star is a treasonous organization. They've taken root across the Empire. Especially among certain nobles, mercenary bands, and various interest groups."
She gazed up at the ceiling.
The ceiling was shrouded in black mist, reflecting nothing.
"I need someone to clean up that organization. A hero to uproot them."
With those words, I grasped the Empress's intentions.
The reason for the unprecedented reward of a ducal rank.
'She plans to use me as his blade?'
The Empress intended to wield me as a blade.
Whether I got tangled up with the Red Star in the process or not, it didn't matter to her either way.
What mattered to her were justification and display.
Judgment and misjudgment would be left to the nobles watching this unfold, not me.
"You are precisely the man for the job. The trust earned from your feats in the north, your battlefield instincts, and your untainted judgment in politics. The hero of innovation heals the ailing Empire—what a magnificent picture that paints."
A strange breeze brushed my nape.
Even though there shouldn't be a whisper of wind here.
I had no idea what it was.
The Empress continued in an ordinary tone.
"If you deal with the Red Star, I'll confiscate all their territories. One by one, I'll peel them from imperial direct control and grant them as your ducal lands. I'll give you both the rewards and the justification."
The Empress approached me, smiling faintly.
The smile hidden by the veil was so subtle I could barely sense it.
There was no issue.
From the moment I'd arrived in the capital, I'd already resolved to handle the Red Star.
This was just icing on the cake.
"In a few days, I'll assign you a messenger. Don't misunderstand—it's to provide you with information and assistance."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...Was it really alright to send him off like that? His motives are unclear."
To Gerhardt, Ian was a man of unclear motives.
At first, he'd thought Ian had fled north because of the drug cartel.
It didn't make sense for a madman who partied with whores to rush to the front lines on a suicide mission over a broken engagement.
Not even someone with severe depression would do that.
Why take the long way around for two years when you could just slit your wrists?
But as he investigated Ian's actions in the north, Gerhardt's thoughts began to change bit by bit.
Not content with supplying wave engines, he'd even subjugated the first Great Beast.
Could a person change that drastically in an instant?
Gerhardt didn't believe it.
From his experiences, humans didn't change easily.
Without some life-altering trigger or event, people didn't overhaul their entire personality.
That made Ian even more suspicious.
The broken engagement couldn't have been the decisive factor—Ian had never shown any interest in his fiancée.
The cartel was the same.
Ian wasn't in a position to know anything critical enough to warrant silencing.
In fact, Ian had been one of the indulgers.
As if aware of his suspicions, the Empress languidly propped her chin on her hand.
Gazing at her palm—which she'd slashed with a dagger—she replied.
The palm had already healed perfectly.
"Sir Gerhardt. You still distrust humans. Of course, I am no great believer in others myself."
Gerhardt bowed silently.
It was natural to grow disillusioned with humanity working in Imperial Intelligence.
Living in a world of deception taught you that trust came at a steep price.
"I don't trust humans—I trust people. Trusting humans? That's absurd."
"Then how do you plan to—"
"How many humans can rampage without caring for justification or scrutiny? Even if such a being exists, rising high inevitably chains them without realizing it. Most can't act so freely."
In the twenty years Gerhardt had observed her, the Empress treated humans and people as distinct entities.
They might seem the same at a glance, but to her, they were worlds apart—like heaven and earth.
"Even a reckless wastrel chasing some grand cause they believe trumps all justification... unless it's that madman I know."
Suddenly, the Empress burst into laughter.
As if recalling someone, she tapped the throne.
"What madman throws his daughter's savior into the depths of hell just to help him? Still, humans only reveal their true worth when pushed to the brink."
Gerhardt fell silent, and the Empress's eyes gleamed coldly.
"The Duke was right. Indulging in peace dulls even the sharpest minds. That's why I hope the entire Empire sharpens itself."
"..."
It was at that moment.
Count Roen entered the palace with two Imperial Intelligence agents.
Thrown before the throne, Count Roen looked up at the seated Empress.
Fear and confusion swam in his eyes, buried beneath a fierce anger.
The Empress let out a small chuckle, as if even that amused her.
"E-Empress...!!"
"Count Roen. I must say, I'm truly impressed by your scheming. 'Great Land Shower'—it suits you perfectly."
At the Empress's nonsensical words, Count Roen's expression went blank.
She rose from the throne and continued.
"Your loyalty runs so deep—you preserved my dignity and authority at the banquet. I must duly repay that. Isn't that the way of a proper sovereign?"
Flutter!
The Empress cast aside her face-veiling gauze and stood before Count Roen.
The fact that she, who always hid her face, now revealed it.
Realizing the implication, Count Roen's face drained of color.
He began gasping for breath.
"Count Roen. I grant you two choices."
As the Empress extended her hand, Gerhardt silently handed her his sword from the side.
She ran her fingertip along the blade to check its sharpness.
"Your son and daughter. Choose one."
"...!!"
Count Roen had two children under his care.
Both were dearer to him than his own eyes.
He couldn't possibly choose one on the spot.
Count Roen prostrated himself repeatedly at the Empress's feet.
"Empress! At that time, I must have lost my mind! If punishment is needed, take me instead—"
"—You truly are a devoted father. Inspired by your will, I'll appoint both your children as vanguard commanders in the coming southern war. Who knows? With luck, they might become war heroes like him."
The moment the Empress lifted her golden eyes, Count Roen's limbs went numb.
Gripping the sword firmly, she thrust it into his leg.
"Aaaagh! E-Empress! Mercy, please! The other nobles will fear you!"
"Such loyalty. Even facing death, you worry for me. Though calling on the nobles over me is a problem—don't fret. Thanks to your virtue, word will spread that I uphold rewards and punishments justly."
"Gaaahhh! Th-This lacks justification! Killing a count without cause—"
"Heave-ho."
The Empress drove the sword into his spine and laughed sadistically.
It was a chilling laugh that even Gerhardt, long accustomed to such sights, found gooseflesh-inducing.
"Justification? It's there. You embezzled pensions from retired soldiers. And you were complicit with the Red Star. Are you saying even this was for justification's sake? Such loyalty."
"Gaaahhh!"
"I look forward to white blood flowing from your neck."
Before long, Count Roen no longer screamed.
The Empress handed the sword back to Gerhardt and muttered.
"With the Northern Frontline gone, we move to the next."
"...Next meaning."
"Expand the Academy. Achieving results without dirtying your hands was fine at first, but they keep crossing lines. Brazen enough to irk me."
The Empress smiled sinisterly.
"Then we slaughter them. The kingdoms are just feedlots I've raised. Time for the southerners—who've leeched protection for four hundred years—to pay the price."